Source:
https://scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/1657321/nfl-players-show-support-i-cant-breathe-messages
Sport/ Other Sport

NFL players show support with 'I Can't Breathe' messages

Quote refers to death of Eric Garner at the hands of a New York police officer

Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck, left, talks with Cleveland Browns cornerback Johnson Bademosi. Photo: AP

A week after their “Hands Up, Don’t Shoot!” show of solidarity, several St Louis Rams players made another societal statement with the message: “I Can’t Breathe.”

The slogan refers to Eric Garner, who died after a New York police officer placed him in a chokehold during an arrest for selling loose cigarettes. A grand jury decided last week that it would not indict the officer. A video of the arrest showed Garner gasping, “I can’t breathe.”

Guard Davin Joseph wrote the words on the cleats he wore during pregame warmups before the Rams beat the Washington Redskins 24-0. Tight end Jared Cook had it written on his wrist tape. Receiver Kenny Britt had several names – including Michael Brown and Trayvon Martin – written on his blue and gold cleats. The names were of black men or teens whose deaths led to protests.

“I feel like we should support what we feel is right,” said Joseph, who intended to wear the cleats during the game but had to change because of the condition of the slick turf at the Redskins’ stadium. “We should always have an opinion of sticking up for people who don’t have a voice.”

Joseph Tweeted an image of his shoes before the game with the message: “R.I.P. Eric Garner.”

Players at other NFL games expressed similar sentiments. Detroit Lions running back Reggie Bush had “I Can’t Breathe” written in black across his blue warmup shirt. Browns cornerback Johnson Bademosi wrote the message on the back of the shirt he wore before a game in Cleveland.

“Honestly, I’ve always been the quiet kid. I’ve always been the one who’s reserved, to kind of sit back and not really get into politics and things like that,” said Bush, whose mother has been a police officer for about 20 years. “But I don’t know why I just felt some kind of ... I guess the situation just touched me.

“It’s kind of resonated with me. Not because I’ve been through a similar situation or because I’ve seen anybody go through it. I just really felt terrible about what was going on these past couple of weeks.”

Lions coach Jim Caldwell supported Bush’s action.

More than likely, some of those protests that Dr. [Martin Luther] King and others took a part in is the reason why I’m standing here in front of you today Lions coach Jim Caldwell

“I grew up in the ‘60s, where everybody was socially conscious,” Caldwell said. “I believe in it. I’d be a hypocrite if I stood up here and told you any differently, because more than likely, some of those protests that Dr. [Martin Luther] King and some of the others that took a part in non-violent protests, is the reason why I’m standing here in front of you today.”

Bademosi said there were players and coaches on his team who weren’t even aware what “I Can’t Breathe” meant. He called the Garner case “a ridiculous situation.”

“It’s not an us-against-them thing,” Bademosi said. “It’s about us standing in solidarity with those of us who know what’s going on.”

The decision not to indict the officer came after another grand jury decided not to indict police officer Darren Wilson over the August 9 shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri. Last week, before a Rams home game, five St. Louis players – including Cook and Britt – took the field making the “Hands up. Don’t Shoot!” gesture associated with Brown. The St. Louis Police Officers Association expressed outrage and called for the NFL to discipline the players; the league declined.