UPDATED 4/21, 2:00 p.m. ET: Philonise Floyd, George Floyd’s brother, shared a statement on Wednesday afternoon regarding the pushback the Raiders received following their widely criticized “I can breathe” tweet.
“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,” Philonise said, per a statement emailed to Complex from the office of family attorney Ben Crump. “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. Let’s take this breath together in honor of my big brother who couldn’t. Let’s do it for George.”
See original story below.
The Las Vegas Raiders decided to send out a message on Twitter in the wake of the Derek Chauvin guilty verdict that said “I Can Breathe” with the day’s date, which happens to be 4/20. Chauvin was found guilty on all three counts he was charged with, second-degree murder, third-degree murder, and second-degree manslaughter, in the murder of George Floyd on May 25, 2020.
Needless to say, the Raiders’ tweet was not well received.
Check it out and be your own judge:
Following the backlash, Raiders owner Mark Davis told Las Vegas Review-Journal’s Ed Graney that he was responsible for the tweet.
The Athletic’s Tashan Reed also reported that Davis said he will not take the tweet down.
Anyway, most (all?) people who responded to the tweet seem to think it was bad.
You can read some reactions, including comments from Isaiah Thomas and Torrey Smith, below.