Source: Las Vegas Raiders / Twitter
The guilty verdict in the Derek Chauvin trial for the murder of George Floyd brought out a range of emotions, but for the Las Vegas Raiders, it appears audacity was also in the mix.
On Tuesday (April 20), the NFL team took to Twitter to weigh on the reactions to the highly controversial trial with a tone-deaf tweet in an attempt to show solidarity for the Black Lives Matter movement, and instead ended getting dragged over the highly insensitive post.
After Chauvin was found guilty of murdering George Floyd on Tuesday, the Raiders’ social media account tweeted out, “I CAN BREATHE” with the date and the team logo.
While the phrase was seemingly intended to share relief at the high hoped first step towards true police reform, many felt that the statement was insensitive because Floyd told officers, “I can’t breathe” more than 20 times while being forcefully detained by Chauvin, who at the time was a member of the Minneapolis Police Department.
Within minutes of the post, an overwhelming amount of fans responded in displeasure with many demanding the post be removed.
Despite the backlash, the Raiders owner Mark Davis is taking full responsibility for the tweet but said the team will NOT delete the message due to hearing the phrase from one of George Floyd’s relatives. During an interview with The Athletic, Davis states that he got the idea for the phrase, “I can breathe,” after hearing George Floyd’s bother say it during a press conference.
Davis did apologize for any offense he may have caused the Floyd family, stating, “If I offended the family, then I’m deeply, deeply disappointed,” but noted the post will remain.
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