Jaren Jackson Jr., head coach Taylor Jenkins and the whole Memphis Grizzlies have released a statement addressing the death of 29-year-old father Tyre Nichols in the city at the hands of police.
The five Black police officers involved in the death of Nichols have already been fired and are now facing criminal charges, including second-degree murder. Nichols died in a hospital days after the confrontation, which started with just a traffic stop.
Jackson took to Twitter to share his support for the Nichols family. Furthermore, ahead of Friday evening's public release of the body cam footage of the arrest that led to Nichols' death, the Grizzlies big man urged his fellow Americans to do a peaceful protest.
“To the Nichols family, my teammates and I are and have been paying attention. We are with you,” Jackson wrote. “To Memphis, we are hurting, too.
“Peaceful protest, supporting the family, pushing for accountability are what’s needed in this moment.”
Jenkins, meanwhile, talked about Nichols' tragic death in his presser before the Grizzlies played the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday. The veteran coach shared his pain for the family of Nichols and the city of Memphis, adding that a lot needs to be done despite the charges handed out at the culprits.
“Our city is struggling right now. Our city is coping with the loss of one of our own in Tyre Nichols. It’s devastating,” Jenkins said, via Jon Krawczynski of TheAthletic. “It’s hard to grasp what our city is going through right now. We can’t wait to get back home to put our arms around everyone in Memphis as they struggle with a loss of life, a senseless loss of life.
“Obviously terminations have happened, the D.A. has handed down counts of second-degree murder, but there’s so much more to be done. There’s so much healing that needs to be done. There’s a lot of work to be done to continue to bring our city together to move forward, to heal.”
The Grizzlies also issued an official statement on the tragedy, saying that they are “distraught” for the “needless loss of life due to police brutality.”
#JusticeForTyre pic.twitter.com/gYY8AgCVbd
— Memphis Grizzlies (@memgrizz) January 27, 2023
On January 7, Tyre Nichols was pulled over for alleged reckless driving, leading to the first confrontation. According to the family's attorney, Nichols stopped to take photos of a sunset at a local park, per BBC. A second confrontation then occurred when Nichols fled on foot and the police officers caught up and arrested him.
Nichols then complained about shortness of breath and had to be taken to hospital, where he died three days later. No official cause of death was revealed, though he was said to be in critical condition when he was brought to hospital.
More details about the incident are expected to come to light in the next few days. Sure enough, Jaren Jackson Jr., Taylor Jenkins, the whole Grizzlies and all of Memphis will have their eyes on the issue as the Nichols family seeks for justice.
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