Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow tweeted out support for the protests against racial inequality after the death of George Floyd.
Burrow’s statement: “The black community needs our help. They have been unheard for far too long. Open your ears, listen, and speak. This isn’t politics. This is human rights.”
Burrow joins a chorus of professional athletes to go public on the matter. Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz was one of the prominent NFL names to issue a statement.
Houston Texans defensive lineman J.J. Watt said the following on a media call, according to NFL Network’s James Palmer:
“I think it’s disgusting. I think that there’s no explanation for it. For me it doesn’t make any sense. I just don’t see how a man in handcuffs, on the ground, who is clearly detained and clearly saying [he’s] in distress … I just don’t understand how that situation can’t be remedied in a way that doesn’t end in his death.
As ESPN’s Ben Baby pointed out, Burrow isn’t a stranger to taking a strong stance as a leader:
Floyd died after police restrained him Monday in response to an alleged forgery. Protests and riots in Minneapolis and the surrounding areas have since broken out and are ongoing.
