ESPN’s Jalen Rose calls for arrest in Breonna Taylor case during Eastern Conference finals
Rose used airtime during the Eastern Conference finals to call for an arrest to be made in the death of Breonna Taylor.
ESPN anchor Jalen Rose called for an arrest in the Breonna Taylor shooting while on-air during Game 4 of the Eastern Conference finals.
Read More: ESPN’s Malika Andrews shares powerful message on Breonna Taylor
“It’d also be a great day to arrest the cops that murdered Breonna Taylor,” the analyst yelled after offering insight on the basketball game.
The game, featuring Boston vs. Miami for the right to play in the NBA Finals, tipped off only hours after a Kentucky grand jury refused to indict the officers involved in the shooting on criminal charges relating to Taylor’s death. As theGrio reports, former Louisville police officer Brett Hankison faces charges, not for allegedly killing the 26-year-old EMT during a botched raid, but for blindly shooting into Taylor’s neighbors’ apartments.
The former NBA player also shared his thoughts during ESPN’s NBA Countdown which aired before tip-off. Rose spoke to the emotional turmoil Black athletes face.
“I just want people to know that Blacks are hurting — and as we relate it to sports, that sports that are predominantly Black — the NBA, the WNBA and the NFL — players are performing with heavy hearts,” he said. “We’re still showing up to try and do our jobs. I was in that position, I can’t lie to you all. I was looking in my closet like, ‘I am going to wear something fresh today because if I say something to get me fired, at least it would look crisp.'”
Rose continued to describe the disparities in the criminal justice system, comparing the Taylor killing to Kyle Rittenhouse, the 17-year-old accused of fatally shooting two people and wounding a third during protests in Milwaukee after the Jacob Blake police shooting.
“When Kyle Rittenhouse in Milwaukee, as a 17-year-old kills two people, and yet three cops aren’t directly charged for killing Breonna Taylor, it shows you how they feel about Black lives in America,” Rose said during the ESPN pregame show.
Next, he added historical context to his statement referencing slavery before commending the players for taking the court despite current events.
“My favorite sport is actually football. The most important thing in that game is field position. We are starting a game … it is 400 years of slavery to 0. We know we are not going to win, but we still have to continue to move the ball forward. Put people behind you in a position to be successful.”
He continued, “That’s what we are here to do today. That’s what the NBA players are here doing. That’s why I applaud them. Because while they’re out here preforming and trying to win a championship, understand that this is really painful to show up to work and try to entertain.”
Watch his full statement below:
Read More: LeBron James praises Black women after Breonna Taylor decision: ‘I’ll do my best to change this’
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