Following in the footsteps of Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods has now released a statement regarding the murder of George Floyd, 46 years old on May 25. Last week, Floyd was asphyxiated by Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, who kneeled on his neck for 8 minutes. Two independent autopsies have classified Floyd’s death as a homicide.
Woods, who in 1997 at 21 became the first black golfer to win the Masters, said on Monday he has always respected US law enforcement but their use of force on Floyd clearly crossed a line. “I have always had the utmost respect for our law enforcement,” Woods said in a post on Twitter.
The 15-times major champion added, “They train so diligently to understand how, when and where to use force. This shocking tragedy clearly crossed that line.”
“I remember the LA riots and learned that education is the best path forward,” Tiger Woods noted, referring to six days of riots in 1992 after four Los Angeles white police officers were acquitted of beating African-American man Rodney King.
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“We can make our points without burning the very neighborhoods that we live in. I hope that through constructive, honest conversations we can build a safer, unified society.”
Besides Jordan, Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and LeBron James have either released statements, made social media posts or written about the protests and why they have struck a nerve in America.
SOURCE: Yahoo Sports
