LeBron James, Serena Williams and Kobe Bryant were among the athletes who expressed their anger at the decision not to indict police officer Darren Wilson over the shooting of black teenager Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri.
James posted an image of Brown and Trayvon Martin, another teenager who was killed in controversial circumstances. In a caption underneath the picture James said that “retaliation isn’t the solution”.
Williams’s reaction was more blunt although she did not explicitly mention the Brown case:
Wow. Just wow. Shameful. What will it take???
— Serena Williams (@serenawilliams) November 25, 2014
Bryant, meanwhile, called the decision a tipping point, while another NBA great, Magic Johnson, said “justice was not served in Ferguson”:
The system enables young black men to be killed behind the mask of law #Ferguson #tippingpoint #change
— Kobe Bryant (@kobebryant) November 25, 2014
We must work together to stop the unnecessary loss of young men of color. Justice was not served in Ferguson.
— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) November 25, 2014
Bryant’s Lakers team-mate Steve Nash said the Brown case highlighted problems that are ingrained in American society:
Disgusted by decision in furguson. Racism is learned. Accepted is systematic suffocation of education and opportunity. What are we saying?
— Steve Nash (@SteveNash) November 25, 2014
As some of the protests against the decision turned violent, the former Minnesota Vikings punter Chris Kluwe, who is known for his strong opinions on Twitter, suggested media coverage had been unfairly slanted:
SOMEONE CALL IN THE NATIONAL GUARD TO PROTECT OUR- oh, that was after the World Series in San Francisco. pic.twitter.com/21PgkOrFbJ
— Chris Kluwe (@ChrisWarcraft) November 25, 2014
Meanwhile, on a tense night, the veteran NFL writer Peter King issued an apology after an unfortunately timed tweet during the New York Jets-Buffalo Bills game:
This is the biggest indictment of all: The Jets' special teams are worse than the offense.
— Peter King (@SI_PeterKing) November 25, 2014
Pardon the use of the word "indictment." My fault. Referring only to football. Not watching the news now.
— Peter King (@SI_PeterKing) November 25, 2014
King was not the only person to attract criticism. The Vikings running back Adrian Peterson compared the Brown case to his own recent child abuse charges:
The GRAND JURY DECIDED NOT TO INDICT ME TOO! But that changed a week LATER! MAYBE,BUT NOT LIKELY N THIS CASE #PUTyourTrustNGODnotINtheWORLD!
— Adrian Peterson (@AdrianPeterson) November 25, 2014
After a number of Peterson’s followers attacked the tweet he sounded a more conciliatory tone:
MY HEART GOES OUT TO MIKE BROWN'S FAMILY! MY THOUGHTS & PRAYERS ARE WITH YOU! #PRAYING4PEACE
— Adrian Peterson (@AdrianPeterson) November 25, 2014
