Georgetown's men's basketball players last night "became the latest athletes -- and the first in college basketball -- to don 'I Can't Breathe' T-shirts," wearing them before its game against Kansas, according to Eamonn Brennan of ESPN.com. The entire GU roster "took its final pregame warmup of the evening in black shirts with white font." GU C Josh Smith: "We didn't wear the shirt to say the cops were wrong, or the system was wrong. We wore the shirts just to show our condolences to the family. No matter how you look at it, we don't know who's right or wrong, but they still lost somebody. We're not choosing sides." GU coach John Thompson III said that the decision to wear the T-shirts "was the result of team discussions beginning as far as back as the team's November trip to the Bahamas for the Battle 4 Atlantis" (ESPN.com, 12/10). KU coach Bill Self said, "It’s a pretty strong stance, but I think it’s pretty good. Certainly, it shows a lot of solidarity amongst their unit, and I don’t see anything negative with it at all" (K.C. STAR, 12/11). YAHOO SPORTS' Jeff Eisenberg noted it is "unlikely Georgetown players will face any punishment ... as the NCAA rulebook states 'warm-ups are any pieces of clothing worn by team members that must be removed before they become 'players'" (SPORTS.YAHOO.com, 12/10). Meanwhile, in Portland, Tyson Alger reports Univ. of Oregon Fs Dwayne Benjamin and Jordan Bell "made their statement on Sunday when they held their hands up during the National Anthem, though head coach Dana Altman wishes they would have done it on their own time." Altman said that he "didn't know the two players had planned the demonstration," which was presumably in reference to the Eric Garner and Michael Brown cases. Altman: "Every player has a right to express their opinion, however I didn't think that was the time and place for it" (Portland OREGONIAN, 12/11).
ASSOCIATION'S PRESS: Lakers G Kobe Bryant, who wore an "I Can't Breathe" T-shirt before Tuesday's game against the Kings, said that he "didn't view his statement as a referendum on race relations in America." Bryant: "It would be a serious disservice to limit this to a race issue. It's a justice issue. You're kind of seeing a tipping point right now, in terms of social issues. It's become at the forefront right now as opposed to being a local issue. It's really something that has carried over and spilled into the mainstream, so when you turn on the TV and you watch the news or you follow things on social media, you don't just see African Americans out there protesting." In L.A., Eric Pincus notes Bryant "has been more outspoken in recent years about societal issues, typically after some reflection" (
L.A. TIMES, 12/11). Trail Blazers G Damian Lillard said that he wore an "I Can't Breathe" shirt before the team's game against the T'Wolves last night "because he has a 'voice' that can prompt debate and, perhaps, even effect change" (
Portland OREGONIAN, 12/11). In N.Y., Ben Strauss writes while many players have begun wearing the shirts, Bulls G Derrick Rose "will remain the first player to do so, a distinction that will become as much a part of his résumé as his basketball deeds." Prior to wearing it, Rose already was known in his hometown of Chicago as "someone with a social conscience." As his injuries have mounted in recent seasons, he "has faced criticism for being overly concerned with his physical condition." Because of that criticism, Rose’s manager, Randall Hampton, "hesitated when Rose first texted him last week, asking him to obtain the shirt." Hampton asked Rose "to think it over before he got in touch with a local T-shirt company and had the shirt made." Hampton: "It was a great idea, but I was a little worried only because every time Derrick says or does anything, it’s blown out of proportion" (
N.Y. TIMES, 12/11).
CUBAN OK WITH PROTESTS: Several NBA execs have weighed in on the topic, with Mavericks Owner Mark Cuban saying that he viewed the Cavaliers' protest on Monday "as a freedom of expression." He added that he "doesn’t think NBA Commissioner Adam Silver is bothered by it." Cuban: "I don’t have a problem with it. I think non-violent protests; social discourse is great. As far as wearing the T-shirts during pregame, in that type of situation I think Adam is smart, giving a couple of mulligans and then getting people back on track" (FT. WORTH STAR-TELEGRAM, 12/11). Clippers coach and Senior VP/Basketball Operations Doc Rivers said, "I grew up in a generation with Arthur Ashe and Muhammad Ali and they used sports as a voice as well. And so I have no problem with it at all" (L.A. TIMES, 12/11).
DEFENDING HIS DECISION: Browns S Johnson Bademosi wore an "I Can't Breathe" shirt prior to the team's game against the Colts on Sunday, and in a special for THE MMQB, he wrote, "We walk a tightrope as NFL athletes. ... We all have lives and opinions outside of sports, yet the NFL today is designed to suppress and confine our public lives to its standards." Bademosi: "They tell us to wear pink for these games and camouflage for these games. While I embrace those causes, there are other things that are just as important to me as an individual. Yet, in the past, whenever players have tried to distinguish themselves, they’ve faced fines for doing so." He continued, "This issue as I see it -- police killings as a symptom of the systematic and historical devaluing of black lives -- seemed too big to ignore. Had I stayed silent, I would have betrayed everything my parents taught me about standing up for people who can’t stand up for themselves, and everything I learned in school about hegemony, political systems and social change" (MMQB.SI.com, 12/10). Seahawks CB Richard Sherman said, "The guys making a stance are admirable. The rest of us could make a stand and that would be fantastic, because everybody should have the right to not be scared when they walk out of their house if they’re not breaking any laws" (ESPN.com, 12/10).
COLUMNISTS HAVE THEIR SAY: ESPN.com's J.A. Adande wrote athletes who have donned the shirts are "steering the conversation in the right direction." The disparity between the "significance of black lives and the power of the police has reached 'a tipping point,' as Bryant called it." That "is the larger implication" of the deaths of Garner and Brown. It "is about lost lives, the sorrow of the families, the public policies that need to be addressed" (ESPN.com, 12/10). In Miami, Greg Cote writes under the header, "T-shirt Protest Messages By Athletes Are Breath Of Fresh Air." Cote: "Athletes as human beings: What a concept! ... With due respect, the reverends Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton speaking into an amplified bullhorn do not reach the audience or have the impact LeBron James does in wearing a black 'I Can’t Breathe' T-shirt during pregame warmups" (MIAMI HERALD, 12/11). In DC, Deron Snyder wrote, "I’m glad more athletes are speaking out, especially James, the game’s biggest star." He is "proving to be the anti-Michael Jordan, a flesh-and-blood human being who breathes and feels, opposed to a steely-cold pitchman who just sells and sells." It is a "shame if someone with a burning passion to lend a hand keeps it behind his back instead" (WASHINGTON TIMES, 12/10). In California, Todd Harmonson writes under the header, "Athletes Speak Up After Years Of Silence." Prominent sports figures "have the rare opportunity to command an audience and should play a role in -- and occasionally lead -- social discourse." That said, it is "not clear that fans can handle their heroes having opinions that might make them squirm" (ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER, 12/11).
