Two days after he helped lead cleanup efforts in downtown Nashville, Houston Rockets forward Robert Covington used social media to make a passionate plea for peaceful protests.
Covington, who played his college basketball at nearby Tennessee State, is back in the area due to the NBA’s ongoing COVID-19 hiatus.
Beneath an Instagram post showing several pictures of his group’s restoration work, the 29-year-old wrote:
Through this tough time in our world, we came together to really help bring about a change in the comuntiy. Protestors and rioters are different. We don’t need to diminish our neighborhoods with vandalism. That’s not the message behind any of this. Standing up bringing awareness to the situations only brings change. We have to think about the generation behind us, and what they will have to endure. Why not start with us leading the way. ✊🏽✊🏼✊🏾✊🏻✊🏿
Protests have erupted in U.S. cities after the death of George Floyd, a black man who died after a white police officer kneeled on his neck for over eight minutes during an arrest in Minneapolis. Demonstrations last weekend in Nashville ended with damage to many downtown buildings.
Further information on the Floyd fallout is available at usatoday.com.
As for Covington, the 6-foot-8 forward was acquired by Houston at the February trade deadline and is widely viewed as one of the team’s best defensive players. He’s also a capable 3-point shooter (35.8% career) and a respected veteran presence in the locker room.
In 14 games with the Rockets before the season’s hiatus, Covington averaged 12.8 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 2.5 blocks in 32.6 minutes.
