The Las Vegas Raiders caused an uproar on Twitter after posting a tweet regarding the announcement of the verdict in the George Floyd case in Minnesota on Tuesday.
As The Daily Wire reported, “After a little over ten hours of deliberation, a jury on Tuesday found former Minneapolis Police officer Derek Chauvin guilty of second-degree murder, third-degree murder, and second-degree manslaughter in relation to the death of George Floyd.”
The Daily Wire reported:
The jury considered three separate charges, “second-degree murder—unintentional, while committing a felony; third-degree murder; and second-degree manslaughter,” according to The Wall Street Journal. “The judge explained that third-degree murder requires proof Mr. Chauvin caused Mr. Floyd’s death by committing an eminently dangerous act that was highly likely to cause death and showed a reckless disregard for human life. To convict Mr. Chauvin of second-degree manslaughter, the jurors would need to conclude that culpable negligence and reckless actions by Mr. Chauvin caused Mr. Floyd’s death.”
They found Chauvin guilty on all three.
On May 25, Chauvin and three other officers arrested and detained Floyd after he allegedly gave counterfeit money at a convenience store. Following a struggle to get Floyd into the back of a police cruiser, viral video shows that Chauvin kneeled on Floyd’s neck and back for nearly nine minutes to detain Floyd while awaiting paramedics.
The tweet in question was pinned on the Las Vegas Raiders football team’s Twitter profile on Tuesday evening. The graphic in the tweet contained the phrase, “I Can Breathe 4-20-21”
— Las Vegas Raiders (@Raiders) April 20, 2021
Users took to Twitter to call out the team for its seemingly inappropriate response to the verdict in the George Floyd case.
How many people participated in the approval process of this tweet
— Yashar Ali 🐘 (@yashar) April 20, 2021
Many users called out corporations in general for commenting on similar issues. One user wrote, “So many opportunities to say nothing are being missed today.” Another wrote, “Everyone reading this can breathe” with another writing, “no. no no no no. people if you’re around your favorite team’s social media guy or gal….take the phone away.”
Another user wrote, “I’ve seen a lot of bad tweets on this app but this might be first-ballot Hall of Fame worthy” with another writing, “Never too late to delete”
I've seen a lot of bad tweets on this app but this might be first-ballot Hall of Fame worthy https://t.co/ejyfrxZynf
— Daniel Oyefusi (@DanielOyefusi) April 20, 2021
So many opportunities to say nothing are being missed today. https://t.co/BTEEhHC7Ke
— Desiree Stennett (@Desi_Stennett) April 20, 2021
Everyone reading this can breathe. https://t.co/rUotVu4uzo
— Ian Miles Cheong (@stillgray) April 20, 2021
WHAT IS THIS https://t.co/Mf5hKXW4vl
— Sarah Spain (@SarahSpain) April 20, 2021
One user summed up some of the frustration expressed by users, saying, “A strong reminder to the brands that you can choose to not post today” with yet another saying, “Someone stop the brands”
A strong reminder to the brands that you can choose to not post today. https://t.co/RUEO6dKzhG
— Moneybagg Yo(hannes) 🇪🇷 (@AronYohannes) April 20, 2021
Someone stop the brands https://t.co/aJWzOAzd33
— Max Burns (@themaxburns) April 20, 2021
Matt Gorman, Vice President of Targeted Victory, wrote, “it’s wild to me that *no one* on the lengthy corporate email approval chain stepped in and said ‘um, guys…no.'”
it's wild to me that *no one* on the lengthy corporate email approval chain stepped in and said "um, guys…no." https://t.co/865f6ouQza
— Matt Gorman (@mattsgorman) April 20, 2021
Another user wrote, “About to be a job opening on the Raiders social media department”
Journalist Jon Alba wrote, “I mean come on,” and Boston Globe political reporter wrote, “Someone thought this was a good idea.”
I mean come on. https://t.co/5ywNcTi6tr
— Jon Alba (@JonAlba) April 20, 2021
Someone thought this was a good idea. https://t.co/FMEYKGig90
— James Pindell (@JamesPindell) April 20, 2021
Others brought sports allegiances into the conversation, with one user writing, “This is bad. You should delete this. Also, you suck. A Broncos fan”
This is bad. You should delete this. Also, you suck.
A Broncos fan https://t.co/4UQWS3bMoF
— Jason Davis (@davisjsn) April 20, 2021
J.L. Kirven, co-sports editor at The Post wrote, “Come back to this tweet when the Raiders miss the Super Bowl for 50 years”
Come back to this tweet when the Raiders miss the Super Bowl for 50 years https://t.co/US4LBKLEqV
— J.L. Kirven (@JL_Kirven) April 20, 2021
The National Football League also weighed into the verdict, putting out a statement via Twitter, writing, “we must continue to help move our society toward a more equal and just tomorrow.”
— NFL (@NFL) April 20, 2021
The Las Vegas Raiders re-tweeted the NFL’s tweet.