George Floyd’s Brother Supports Las Vegas Raiders “I Can Breathe” Tweet

Philonise Floyd, the brother of George Floyd, issued a statement on Wednesday in support of the Las Vegas Raiders after the organization received backlash for a tweet following the conviction of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin.

“On behalf of our family, I would like to extend our deepest gratitude to the Las Vegas Raiders organization and its leadership for their support of our family and for our nation’s ongoing pursuit of justice and equality for all. Now, more than ever, we must come together as one and continue on in this fight. For the first time in almost a year, our family has taken a breath. And I know that goes for so many across the nation and globe, as well. Let’s take this breath together in honor of my big brother who couldn’t. Let’s do it for George,” Philonise Floyd said.

The Raiders tweet read: “I CAN BREATHE 4-20-21.” Floyd told officers, “I can’t breathe,” more than 20 times before he died when Chauvin pressed his knee onto the back of Floyd’s neck for roughly nine minutes last year:

Raiders owner Mark Davis told ESPN’s Paul Gutierrez on Tuesday that the tweet was his idea and that he does not plan to delete it:

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Chauvin was found guilty of second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter by a jury for his role in the murder of Floyd outside of a Minneapolis convenience store.