Charles Barkley is never at a loss for words. So why would reacting to the George Zimmerman trial and verdict be any different? The NBA Hall of Famer turned sports analyst discussed his reaction to the case Thursday with CNBC anchor Maria Bartiromo.
Sir Charles agreed with the “not guilty” verdict.
“I feel sorry [Trayvon Martin] got killed but [the prosecution] didn’t have enough evidence to charge [Zimmerman],” Barkley said. “Something clearly went wrong that night. Clearly something went wrong and I feel bad for anybody that loses a kid.”
“I don’t like when race gets out in the media,” Barkley continued. “I don’t think media has a pure heart, as I call it. Very few people have a pure heart when it comes to race. Racism is wrong in any form, a lot of black people are racist too.”
Barkley, known for his honesty and candidness on TNT‘s “Inside the NBA” program, wasn’t clear on who the “very few people” are that have a “pure heart” on the topic of race. He told Bartiromo that Zimmerman was wrong for “racially profiling” Martin that night.
Click here for the full CNBC video interview with Charles Barkley
He added, however, that Trayvon did “flip the switch” and “start beating the hell out of Mr. Zimmerman.”
Barkley said he watched the trail closely and that some members of the media had a “hidden agenda” while discussing the Zimmerman trial on television – that the media became a platform for certain media pundits to get their racist views out.
Barkley joined Bartiromo on the channels’s “Closing Bell” program, which was broadcasting live from the American Century Celebrity Golf Championship in Lake Tahoe. Besides reacting to the Zimmerman verdict, Barkley was also reportedly giving out money – $3000 worth – to random golf fans.
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