Dolphins coach Brian Flores and Heat veteran Udonis Haslem speak on George Floyd’s death
Two of South Florida’s most prominent sport figures — Miami Heat veteran Udonis Haslem and Miami Dolphins coach Brian Flores — shared their thoughts on the death of George Floyd.
First reported by ESPN, Flores took issue with those who were quick to publicly lambaste Colin Kaepernick or the NFL incentivizing minority hires yet silent when it comes to social justice.
“I think many of them QUIETLY say that watching George Floyd plead for help is one of the more horrible things they have seen, but it’s said amongst themselves where no one can hear,” Flores said in Friday’s statement. “Broadcasting THAT opinion clearly is not important enough.”
Flores hopes Floyd’s death, along with that of Ahmaud Arbery and Breonna Taylor, allows diverse communities to come together to better society.
“Honesty, transparency, and empathy go a long way in bringing people together and making change,” he said.
In a Friday conversation with the Miami Herald to promote his “Power Forward Through Hunger” initiative that helps provide food for out-of-work Miami families affected by the pandemic, Haslem shared his perspective on the Minneapolis situation that included the firing of four police officers, three days of protests and the burning of a police precinct station Thursday following the death of Floyd.
“I have family and friends and people in law enforcement, so it’s very sensitive for me,” Haslem said. “I understand the outrage and the pain and I’m just as pissed. Trust me, I’m pissed off. I don’t like it. But we just got to be careful about pointing a finger at all law enforcement. I say that because there are people in law enforcement that are good people and I want to make sure those people are safe and protected because those are family members of mine and they protect us.
“You just have to be careful about pointing a finger at all law enforcement. Those guys were terrible people before they ever put on a badge. The badge didn’t make those guys bad people. The badge just probably gave them a little more platform and power, but it didn’t make those guys terrible people. Those were terrible people before they put that badge on.”
Haslem said he knows firsthand that not all of law enforcement falls in that category.
“I can speak for family members and the friends that I know in law enforcement, I can depend on them seven days a week and twice on Sunday,” Haslem said. “Are they perfect people? Nobody is perfect. But I know that they wear that badge and they wear it with pride and they wear it with the right intentions.
“I can’t speak for everybody in law enforcement. Unfortunately, there are some bad ones out there that made some bad decisions and it has got to stop. It has got to stop. The man sat there and told you he couldn’t breathe, man. Then you got all those guys standing there waiting. Where was the moral compass? What are the other cops doing? It’s one of the saddest things I’ve ever seen.”
The video of a white Minneapolis police officer pinning Floyd to the ground with his knee sent shock waves through the athlete community. Everyone from LeBron James to Ray Allen to even Meyers Leonard has used their platform to bring attention to Floyd’s death.
