The Las Vegas Raiders came under fire Tuesday night for posting a very controversial tweet after a Minneapolis jury found former police officer Derek Chauvin guilty in the murder of George Floyd.
Team owner Mark Davis took ownership for running a graphic with the words “I Can Breathe” on the team's social media accounts. The message garnered plenty backlash for its insensitivity, considering Floyd died of asphyxiation.
However, George Floyd's brother, Philonise, reportedly takes no issue with the post, per TMZ:
We spoke with Philonise moments ago … and he told us he does not believe the message was intended to be negative and he hasn't had any negative thoughts about it all.In fact, Philonise kind of agrees with the post — explaining how the world can finally take a breath now that the man who killed his brother has been convicted and will be held accountable.
Davis had said the words used in the post were in fact inspired by the language Philonise used at a press conference held shortly after the jury issued a verdict. He issued a statement apologizing if he added to the hurt:
“If I offended the George Floyd family, then I'm deeply, deeply disappointed,” Davis said, via Tashan Reed of The Athletic.
However, Davis has said the post won't be deleted, despite the Raiders owner lacking much sense of historical context.
Davis revealed he was unaware NYPD supporters wore “I Can Breathe” shirts following the death of Eric Garner in 2014, per Reed. He admitted it was a bad statement after learning said information, yet the team still has not taken the post down from any of its socials.
Philonise Floyd apparently understands the sentiment. Still, the Raiders post would seem to be a cautionary tale in messaging.