Professional athletes continued to protest the grand jury decision not indict a police officer in the death of Eric Garner by wearing the message “I Can’t Breathe” over the weekend.
Chicago Bulls star Derrick Rose wore a T-shirt with the message on Saturday night during warm-ups before their game against the Golden State Warriors.
Although Rose didn’t speak to the media following the game, his teammate Joakim Noah was happy to see him make a statement.
“I respect Derrick a lot,” Noah told reporters. “He definitely is making a statement by wearing it. That’s my guy.”
On Sunday, several players around the NFL were spotted wearing the message. Detroit Lions running back Reggie Bush and Cleveland Browns cornerback Johnson Bademosi warmed up in shirts with the message before their NFL games.
“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,”Bush told the Associated Press. “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.”
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St. Louis Rams offensive lineman Davin Joseph wrote the message “I Can’t Breathe” on his cleats.
The phrase “I Can’t Breathe” refers to Garner, who died after a police officer placed him in a chokehold during an arrest for allegedly selling loose cigarettes. Protests across the U.S. began Wednesday after a grand jury decided not to indict the officer. A widely viewed video of the arrest shows Garner repeatedly gasping “I can’t breathe” as he is tackled by officers. He later died in hospital.
READ MORE: Rams players who made gesture in support of protesters will not be disciplined
Protests by athletes over the death of Garner follow several high-profile demonstrations over the shooting death of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri.
Last Sunday, members of the St. Louis Rams entered their home field making the “Hands up. Don’t Shoot!”gesture before warmups. The incident prompted the St. Louis Police Officer’s Association to issue a statement demanding the players be disciplined and the NFL to issue an apology. None of the players involved were suspended by the Rams organization or the NFL.
*With files from the Associated Press
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