Burrow speaks out on Floyd killing: 'The black community needs our help'
Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow called for support for the black community Friday following the death of an African-American man while in the custody of Minnesota police.
The death has sparked riots in the city and across the United States.
A video showed a white officer pinning George Floyd to the ground by kneeling on his neck. The officer, Derek Chauvin, ignored Floyd's pleas that he couldn't breathe. Floyd later died Monday in the hospital.
The black community needs our help. They have been unheard for far too long. Open your ears, listen, and speak. This isn't politics. This is human rights.
- Joey Burrow (@Joe_Burrow10) May 29, 2020
Another big-name quarterback, Carson Wentz, also took to Twitter on Thursday to speak out against Floyd's death and institutional racism in America.
"(I) can't even fathom what the black community has to endure on a daily basis," wrote Wentz. "Being from North Dakota, I've spent a large part of my life surrounded by people of similar color, so I'm never gonna act like I know what the black community goes through or even has gone through already. I'll never know the feeling of having to worry about my kids going outside because of their skin color."
- Carson Wentz (@cj_wentz) May 28, 2020
On Thursday, the third night of rioting, protestors stormed and set fire to a Minneapolis police precinct, forcing the department to abandon the station.
Chauvin and the three other officers present during Floyd's arrest were fired Tuesday. Hennepin County attorney Mike Freeman announced Friday that Chauvin had been arrested on charges of third-degree murder and manslaughter.
Stars from major sports across the country have condemned the killing of Floyd, including LeBron James and Colin Kaepernick.
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