New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton shared a strongly-worded message Tuesday on Twitter in the wake of the death of George Floyd.
Floyd’s death in police custody has inspired protests — both peaceful and violent — around the nation. Former police officer Derek Chauvin, who was seen on video putting his knee on Floyd’s neck and back for almost nine minutes, is in jail on third-degree murder and manslaughter charges.
According to Payton’s Twitter post, it seems he has qualms with how the media is discussing Floyd’s death. Payton posted photos of Floyd and Ahmaud Arbery and wrote on Twitter:
“Were Murdered
not Killed on Video.
How many have we not seen?
22 weeks from today for change.”
It seems Payton wants to clarify that these two men “were murdered not killed on video.” Generally, news reports don’t use the phrase “murder” because that designation is reserved for a court conviction. Unless Chauvin is convicted for murdering Floyd, the media legally cannot use that word.
It’s a challenging topic, but what’s noteworthy is that Payton has engaged in the discussion to keep people talking about issues of racial justice. And perhaps he’s alluding to a glimmer of change in “22 weeks from today” when the presidential election takes place.
