TAMPA, Fla. _ New York Mets star and Tampa native Pete Alonso called for justice and change following the death of a black man while in police custody and said he will stand with and fight for anyone discriminated against due to the color of their skin.
In a post on his polarpete20 Instagram account Sunday morning, Alonso addressed the situation and reaction after George Floyd died Monday while he was handcuffed and being arrested in Minneapolis, with a now-fired white police officer charged with third-degree murder and manslaughter.
Here is the full post from Alonso:
"For the past couple of days, I've struggled to wrap my mind around what's happening. I have a voice and I will not remain silent. My heart has been broken over the murder of George Floyd. I will never know what it feels like to be discriminated against because of the color of my skin. To anyone who faces this type of discrimination, I will fight for you and be an ally. I will always stand with you. There needs to be justice and change made for the better of humanity. Let words be our sword and unity be our armor. Take care of each other."
Alonso, 25, was undrafted coming out of Tampa's Plant High in 2013, then played well enough at the University of Florida to be chosen 64th overall by the Mets in 2016.
He had to work his way through the Mets system, overcoming criticism and skepticism, and made a smashing big-league debut in 2019.
He won a dramatic home run derby at the All-Star Game, then for the full season hit a major-league rookie record 53 homers (plus logging 120 RBIs) and easily won the National League rookie of the year award, celebrating the announcement with family and friends at his parents home.
Alonso also recently launched his own charitable foundation, Homers for Heroes, to help "everyday heroes of this pandemic and also those who continue to take care of each other," among others.
