Floyd’s brother thanks Raiders for Davis’ tweet
George Floyd’s brother, thanked the Las Vegas Raiders on Wednesday, less than 24 hours after owner Mark Davis took responsibility for a widely criticized tweet responding to the verdict against Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin that was sent from the official team account.
The tweet read “I CAN BREATHE 4-20-21” in large white capital letters against a black background. It was posted after Chauvin was found guilty on charges of second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter in the killing of George Floyd. Floyd had said repeatedly “I can’t breathe” as Chauvin pressed his knee into the back of Floyd’s neck for nine minutes and 29 seconds.
In response to criticism against the tweet, Philonise Floyd on Wednesday issued a statement through the family’s attorney.
“On behalf of our family, I would like to extend our deepest gratitude to the Las Vegas Raiders organization and its leadership for their support of our family and for our nation’s ongoing pursuit of justice and equality for all,” he said. “Now, more than ever, we must come together as one and continue on in this fight. For the first time in almost a year, our family has taken a breath. And I know that goes for so many across the nation and globe, as well.”
The original tweet, pinned atop the team’s feed for a time, has been retweeted more than 8,000 times, with over 71,000 quote tweets and nearly 48,000 likes. Many Twitter users called it tone deaf. “This is the worst tweet I’ve ever seen,” one user wrote. Others wrote “massive yikes” and a bad tweet that was “Hall of Fame worthy.”
“That’s my tweet. That was me,” Davis told the Las Vegas Review-Journal. “I don’t want anyone in the organization taking heat. I take full responsibility for that.
“I was driving home from a meeting when the verdict came in. Soon after, I was listening to George Floyd’s brother, Philonise, speak. And he said, ‘Today, we are able to breathe again.’ I took my lead from him. In my mind, that was all I needed to say — ‘I can breathe.’ ”
Davis defended his words on Tuesday. “I believe it has a lot of context,” Davis said. Chauvin “was on his neck for more than nine minutes and was found guilty on all counts. And now, his knee is fully off his neck. Unfortunately, it’s a little too late.”
Davis told ESPN he “meant no disrespect” and did not plan to delete the tweet.