George Floyd protests: Tiger Woods speaks out for the first time since tragic death
- The 44-year-old golfer breaks his silence with a statement on his Twitter account on Monday night
The 44-year-old golfer broke his silence with a statement on his Twitter account Monday night.
“I have always had the utmost respect for our law enforcement,” Woods said. “They train so diligently to understand how, when and where to use force. This shocking tragedy clearly crossed that line.”
Floyd, a black man, died on May 25 after a white Minneapolis police officer pressed his knee into Floyd’s neck while Floyd was handcuffed and saying that he couldn’t breathe. His death sparked protests in Minneapolis and around the country, some of which became violent.
“I see and feel everyone’s pain, outrage and frustration,” Jordan said in the statement posted on the Jordan brand’s social media accounts and the team’s Twitter account. “I stand with those who are calling out the ingrained racism and violence toward people of colour in our country. We have had enough.”
Woods grew up in Southern California, and he said he learned from the Los Angeles riots in 1992 that “education is the best path forward”. Thousands in the city’s largely minority south side took to the streets after an all-white jury acquitted four white police officers of attacking Rodney King, a black driver, after a traffic stop.
“We can make our points without burning the very neighbourhoods we live in,” Woods said. “I hope that through constructive, honest conversations we can build a safer, unified society.”
