LSU Quarterback Joe Burrow Speaks Up in Wake of George Floyd Killing

As protests in Minneapolis and across the country continue to shine a light on racial inequality following the George Floyd killing, LSU quarterback Joe Burrow has decided to speak up.

“The black community needs our help. They have been unheard for far too long. Open your ears, listen, and speak. This isn’t politics. This is human rights,” Burrow wrote on Twitter.

The black community needs our help. They have been unheard for far too long. Open your ears, listen, and speak. This isn’t politics. This is human rights.
— Joey Burrow (@JoeyB) May 29, 2020

Floyd was killed on Monday after being physically restrained by Minneapolis police due to an alleged forgery. An officer held his knee on Floyd’s neck and after repeatedly telling the officer he couldn’t breathe, Floyd later passed away.

Early Friday afternoon, Minneapolis Public Safety Commissioner John Harrington announced that police officer Derek Chauvin has been arrested in connection with Floyd's murder. The other three officers involved in the incident were fired.

“It is my expectation that justice for the officers involved in this will be swift, that it will come in a timely manner, that it will be fair," Minnesota Governor Tim Walz said at a press conference in St. Paul.

Floyd’s death has sparked discussion from many prominent sports figures including LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Odell Beckham Jr., Carson Wentz and host of FS1's Undisputed Shannon Sharpe.

🗣🗣🗣🗣🗣🗣🗣🗣🗣🗣🗣 https://t.co/ifcJ93TTKZ
— LeBron James (@KingJames) May 29, 2020

Worlds honestly sickening. It really is..... no explanation
— Odell Beckham Jr (@obj) May 27, 2020

"I’ve seen the video and I think it’s disgusting," Texans star defensive end J.J. Watt told KPRC 2 Houston on Tuesday. "I just don’t see how a man in handcuffs on the ground who is clearly detained and is clearly in distress, I don't understand how that situation can't be remedied in a way that doesn't end in his death."

President Barack Obama also released a statement in response to Floyd’s killing:

“This shouldn't be 'normal' in 2020 America,” Obama said. “It can't be 'normal.' If we want our children to grow up in a nation that lives up to its highest ideals, we can and must be better.”