Chicago Bulls star Derrick Rose made a bold statement before taking on the visiting Golden State Warriors Saturday night. Opting to wear an “I Can’t Breathe” T-shirt in place of his league approved NBA warm up tee. Silently protesting the decision to not charge the NYPD officer involved in the death of Eric Garner who was placed in a chokehold until he passed. Per ESPN:
“I knew that Derrick was going to put that T-shirt on,” Bulls center Joakim Noah said. “I think he has every right to express his beliefs. He told me that he was going to wear it. I respect Derrick a lot. I think he’s definitely making a statement by wearing it. That’s my guy.”
“Yeah. If that’s what he wants to do, I respect it,” Noah said. “I think a lot of people feel that way. When you wear a T-shirt with a statement everybody’s going to know how you feel about it. I respect Derrick 150 percent and I’m riding with him … a lot of people feel that way. It’s really sad what happened. Police brutality is something that … it happens. Not every cop is a bad person. Not every black person is a bad person. You can’t judge people. But he definitely made a statement by wearing that T-shirt.”
Rose did not speak with the media after the game.
