Mathieu Joseph stands out on any hockey team. He's a black man in a sport dominated by white people.
"As a kid, playing sports helped me develop strength, which allowed me to brush off racist comments as much as possible," the 23-year-old Lightning forward wrote in a lengthy tweet Sunday.
Joseph, the son of a Haitian man and a white Canadian woman, posted a two-page note, which he referred to as "some thoughts." Joseph, who has spent most of this season in the AHL, is the first Lightning player to comment publicly on the death of George Floyd, a 46-year-old black man who died last Monday in Minneapolis while handcuffed in police custody.
Joseph said his heart bleeds for Floyd and his family, and he called attention to Floyd's death not being an isolated event.
He made a distinction between being non-racist and anti-racist, but adding that violent protests are not the way.
"Once this all boils over, what concrete actions will be taken?" Joseph asked.
J.T. Brown, who spent six-plus seasons with the Lightning and grew up outside of Minneapolis, has been active on Twitter. During his time in Tampa, Brown, who is black, was vocal about race matters and worked to bring awareness around issues of police brutality.
On Sunday, the 29-year-old shared images of his Minnesota community coming together, including a massive food donation made available for families in need.
On Friday, he commented on the impossibility of protesting in a manner that everyone views acceptable.
Also Sunday, NHL Network analyst Kevin Weekes, a black Canadian who spent time with the Lightning, took to Twitter.
The former goaltender stated that no one is superior or inferior to anyone else. A commenter compared his statement to the "all lives matter" slogan and told him to "be better." Weekes, 45, responded, saying no one can tell him how to feel.
He highlighted the discrimination he faced in hockey, saying others can tell him how to react "the day you have to explain and prove to officers that you didn't steal your car."
