LeBron James and several NFL stars reacted to the verdict of Derek Chauvin’s case with relief. However, James was not happy with how the Las Vegas Raiders responded.
Advertisement
After Chauvin was found guilty, NFL players, athletes, and people across the world showed their approval of the decision by Tweeting out their reactions. LeBron was one of them:
ACCOUNTABILITY
— LeBron James (@KingJames) April 20, 2021
Several NFL teams also issued statements explaining how they stood by the decision. However, there seemed to be a consensus that this small victory didn’t mean the end of the long war ahead in the fight for social justice.
— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) April 20, 2021
The NFL had their own statement as well:
— NFL (@NFL) April 20, 2021
Ultimately, it was the Las Vegas Raiders Tweet that sent shockwaves as their reply did not seem appropriate.
What Did The Las Vegas Raiders Tweet? Is Owner Mark Davis To Blame?
After the video went viral of Derek Chauvin brutally assaulting and eventually murdering George Floyd, the final words of George Floyd became the campaign slogan as protests started: “I Can’t Breathe.”
As a response, the Raiders Tweeted out a play on George Floyd’s words:
— Las Vegas Raiders (@Raiders) April 20, 2021
Clearly, the response here doesn’t appropriately convey the message the Raiders may have been trying to get at. While the verdict was a step in the right direction, there is still a lot of work to do in the fight to stop these murders from happening again. Daunte Wright and Adam Toledo’s murders are clear examples of that.
Therefore, the Raiders reply comes off as distasteful and shows disrespect to the whole situation. To take the words of a man of who was murdered and twist them to express gratitude at a guilty verdict undermines the situation in a way. However, this wasn’t a mess-up on part of the Raiders’ social media team.
Owner Mark Davis came out and accepted full responsibility for the Tweet:
“That’s my tweet. That was me,” Mark Davis said following a tweet that appeared on the @Raiders‘ official account in relation to the guilty verdict in the #DerekChauvinTrial.https://t.co/rj358i68mB
— Vegas Nation (@VegasNation) April 21, 2021
Despite backlash and public outcry regarding the Tweet, it still remains active on the Raiders’ Twitter account at the time this article was written.
LeBron James Is Shocked And Furious With The Raiders Tweet
LeBron James is one of the most vocal sports figures when it comes to raising awareness about social justice issues, and he’s become a voice among athletes when it comes to expressing public views. To add on, he’s also very active social media.
After seeing the Raiders’ Tweet, James was flabbergasted as he couldn’t believe it was real. He Tweeted out his own reply expressing his disgust.
This is real???? Nah man this ain’t it at all. The F^%K!!!! 🤦🏾♂️ https://t.co/f44D7OQWfo
— LeBron James (@KingJames) April 21, 2021
Of course, James’ reaction is warranted here. Obviously, the Raiders made an incredibly inappropriate Tweet, and James simply expressed what all of us were thinking. It remains to be seen whether any action will be taken over the Tweet or if it will even be taken down as it’s still up.