Many were angry with the Las Vegas Raiders on Tuesday for a tweet the organization made in response to the conviction of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin for the murder of George Floyd.
Floyd’s brother, Philonise Floyd, is not one of those people. He made a statement on Wednesday in support of the Raiders and the “I CAN BREATHMessage for which team owner Mark Davis has claimed responsibility.
“On behalf of our family, I would like to express our deep gratitude to the Las Vegas Raiders Organization and its leadership for their support of our family and for our country’s continued commitment to justice and equality for all,” stated Philonise Floyd.
“Now, more than ever, we must come together as one and continue in this battle. For the first time in almost a year, our family has taken a breath. And I know that is the same for so many all over the nation and the world. Let’s take a breath together in honor of my big brother who couldn’t. Let’s do it for George. “
George Floyd uttered the phrase “I can’t breathe” while lying on the floor with Chauvin’s knee pressed to his neck during a police stop on May 25, 2020. By the time Chauvin removed his knee after more than nine minutes, Floyd had been death. On Tuesday, Chauvin was found guilty of second-degree murder, third-degree murder and manslaughter.
Davis said he based the Raiders’ tweet on a quote from Philonise Floyd after Chauvin’s belief, “Today we can breathe again.”
“I thought that was a powerful statement,” Davis told ESPN on Tuesday. “Today was a day when I can breathe, and we can all breathe again because justice is served. But we still have a lot of work to do on social justice and police brutality. “
“I can’t breathe” first became a rallying cry at protests and rallies following the death of Eric Garner in 2014, a 43-year-old black man who repeatedly uttered the phrase while police held him in their grip. In reply, police supporters at the time replied, “I can breathe.”
Davis told the Athletic he was unaware that the last sentence had been used in such a way before.
“I wasn’t aware of that,” said Davis. “Absolutely not. I had no idea about that. That’s a situation I wasn’t aware of. I can see from that where there could be any negativity to what I was saying.”
Davis added that “if I offend the family, I am deeply, deeply disappointed.” But he has no intention of deleting the tweet.
“It’s already there,” Davis said. It’s not an apology. I’m not ashamed of what I said, but I’ve learned something now. “