Mark Davis Speaks Out on Racial Tension
by Tom LaMarre
Owner Mark Davis of the Las Vegas Raiders made a statement on the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis at the hands of police and later elaborated on it when speaking with Paul Gutierrez of ESPN.
Davis also said he has had conversations with Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford and Clark County Sheriff Joseph Lombardo about the racial disconnect that has led to the deaths of several people of color at the hands of authorities recently.
The Raiders posted this statement on Twitter and at Raiders.com: “To watch a man be murdered by a uniformed police officer kneeling on the man’s throat for 9 minutes while three uniformed police officers either assisted or stood by watching is disturbing in too many ways. To be honest I’m surprised that the resulting violence hasn’t been much worse. Emotions are high. The temperature is hot. And there is static in the air.
“But burning your brother’s house down is ultimately not the answer. Not only do we have to tell people there is something wrong. We have to come up with solutions. That’s the challenge in front of us. Not only as Americans. But as human beings.” –Mark Davis.
Floyd, a black man who died last Monday in Minneapolis after Derek Chauvin, a white Minneapolis police officer, kneeled on his neck for several minutes.
Chauvin was fired the next day and charged Friday with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. Three other officers who were involved in George’s detainment also were fired but have not been charged.
“I want to get together with players, coaches and community leaders to get the conversation going, to discuss how to go forward,” Davis told Gutierrez. “The solutions start here at the local level, with the attorney general, the sheriff and other community leaders to open up lines of communication. That’s the beginning.
“Like I said in my statement, not only do we have to tell people there’s something wrong, we have to come up with solutions—as Americans and human beings. I’m trying to be positive but truthful.”
In September of 2017, Davis knelt in solidarity with Raiders players protesting police brutality by taking a knee with them during the National Anthem before a game, something that players around the National Football League were doing.
Davis said he would not ask his players to not protest while in uniform.
“The only thing I can ask them to do is do it with class,” Davis said. “Do it with pride.
“ … If they have something to say, I’ll stand beside them. I won’t stand behind them. I’ll stand beside them. And if there’s something I don’t know, I’m happy to listen to them. We’ve got to find a solution.”
Al Davis, Mark’s father, was known as something of a civil rights pioneer in pro football, drafting and signing players such as tackle Art Shell of Maryland State and Gene Upshaw of Texas A&I from traditional black colleges and other African-Americans during the 1960s.
In fact, most American Football League teams did the same at a time when some National Football League teams had no black players on their rosters, while others reportedly had quotas when it came to African-American players.
