As nationwide protests continue for a fifth straight day over the killing of George Floyd by a police officer who had a knee on his neck for nearly nine minutes, many luminaries in the sports world are speaking out.

Former NBA player Stephen Jackson was a longtime friend of Floyd’s, having grown up together in Texas, and was among the first to speak out, traveling to Minneapolis as part of protests that have now popped up in just about every major city in the United States. He was joined by Karl-Anthony Towns and other members of the Timberwolves, and others have stepped up in recent days. Jaylen Brown led a protest in Atlanta that was also attended by Malcolm Brogdon, while LeBron James and other prominent NBA players have spoken out on their various social media platforms.

On Sunday, Charlotte Hornets owner and NBA Hall of Famer Michael Jordan issued a statement through the team indicating his sadness, pain, and anger at yet another example of police brutality towards black people in America, resulting in another tragic and unnecessary loss of life.

Jordan joins the likes of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as legendary sports figures to speak out on the issue, but given Jordan’s relative quietness on political and social issues in the past (something addressed recently in The Last Dance), it’s meaningful and noteworthy that he is speaking out strongly on this issue.

As coverage shifted in recent days from the horrors of the COVID-19 pandemic to the horrors of police violence against people of color, so has shifted the reaction of those watching and experiencing the outpouring of grief and protest at the death of George Floyd in Minnesota while in police custody.

Protests and conflicts with police have spread across the country, as citizens of all walks of life have publicly protested or expressed support for the Black Lives Matter movement and the advocation of police reform. NBA players like Malcolm Brogdon and Jaylen Brown even held a peaceful protest in Atlanta on Saturday, the latter of which drove 15 hours from Boston to hold the event.

But in light of the actions of some, others have noticed the inaction or relative silence of others. CNN anchor Don Lemon, for example, took airtime on Saturday to criticize those in Hollywood and the entertainment industry for their relative silence on the protests and a lack of calls for reform while some portions of America burn.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the CNN anchor called Hollywood “strangely quiet” and advocated that they take more meaningful action in showing support for a troubled community.

“What about Hollywood? Strangely quiet,” the CNN Tonight host said during a conversation with Rev. William Barber as the fifth night of protests over the death of George Floyd unfolded in Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., New York and other cities nationwide. As he screened footage of fires and looting in cities nationwide, Lemon continued, “I’ve seen them on Twitter, I see them, ‘Oh, I’m loving what Don Lemon’s doing’ … But they gotta do more than that.”

As for both black and white celebrities, he continued, “Why aren’t they helping these young people? These young people are out there standing on a platform at the edge of an abyss by themselves.”

Lemon said he hopes people, stop “sitting in your mansions and doing nothing” in the wake of protests and calls for change in a troubled nation.

“Yes, I’m calling you out, and you can be mad at me all you want. And what they’re doing, you’re sitting there and watching TV and you’re b***tching abut it… Get on television or do something and help these young people instead of sitting in your mansions and doing nothing. And have some moral courage and stop worrying about your reputation and your brand. “

The segment came on a day where some notable celebrities detailed police actions against them, including John Cusack in Chicago. Others in the music industry have stepped forward to criticize police violence and have shared images of their various forms of protest, and other actions are expected later this week as the nation continues to grapple with violence, poverty and systemic oppression in various forms.

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While we’ve heard statements from the likes of Beyonce, Cardi B, Rihanna, and more, other celebrities have stepped out into protests in cities all across the country to fight for social justice following the death of George Floyd. J. Cole took to his hometown of Fayetteville, North Carolina to walk alongside protestors.

Chika did the same in Los Angeles but was later arrested for “failure to disperse” despite sharing a video that showed her attempt to help others do just that. Another artist who also had their peaceful protest disturbed was Halsey as she detailed her experiences following her protest in Los Angeles on Saturday.

Posting a series of pictures to her Instagram story the caption throughout the pictures read:

We were peaceful, hands up, not moving, not breaching the line. They opened fire of rubber bullets and tear gas multiple times on us. Citizens who were not provoking them. Most of us were simply begging to have empathy. To reconsider. To consider humanity and our nation’s history and future. They opened fire multiple times. I was hit twice. Once by pellets and once by shrapnel. We were gassed repeatedly for hours. The frontline did not relent. I will be returning. Have courage.

Halsey would later send out a pair of tweets confirming that she was not arrested during the protest while reminding her followers that “MANY ARE NOT SAFE + MANY ARE IN CUSTODY. DONATE TO BAIL ORGS!!! I AM CURRENTLY.”

Screenshots from Halsey’s Instagram story that detail her experiences while protesting can be found below.

The murder of George Floyd by a police officer in Minnesota, who had his knee on Floyd’s neck for nearly nine minutes while he was handcuffed, has sparked nationwide protests of the continuing police brutality toward the black community.

Many prominent athletes have spoken up about the issue, as they have in the past, from Stephen Jackson, a childhood friend of Floyd’s, to Jaylen Brown, LeBron James, and others. Some in the Bundesliga in Germany made sure to make statements on the pitch during games over the weekend, and even Trevor Lawrence, Clemson’s star quarterback and the presumptive top quarterback taken in next year’s NFL Draft, issued tweets calling out racial injustice and supporting his teammates, the majority of whom are black.

It is that latter point, the high percentage of high-level college athletes who are black, that makes some like North Carolina Central head basketball coach LeVelle Moton upset at the silence of so many high profile head coaches in college athletics — most of whom are white — in a situation such as this. Moton spoke to the issue on ESPN radio, highlighting how coaches seem to fall silent on issues that affect their athletes but don’t directly impact them.

“I come across the timeline of coaches, and everyone is silent. And I have a major issue with that. For years I’ve never really said anything, but now I think enough is enough. Here’s the harsh reality, we have coaches in Power 5 football and basketball coaches, the reality is a lot of these coaches have been able to create generational wealth. I mean, their grandkids kids are going to be able to live a prosperous life because athletes who were the complexion of George Floyd was able to run a football, throw a football, shoot a basketball, or whatever have you. So they have benefited greatly from athletes who look like George Floyd, and many more.

“But whenever people the complexion of George Floyd is killed, assassinated, murdered in the street, in broad daylight, they’re silent, and I have a problem with that because it seems like black lives matter to them whenever they can benefit from it, whenever they’re getting them a first down or catching an alley-oop or shooting a three or whatever. But when it’s time for the humanity to speak up on behalf of those student-athletes, it’s silence. It’s crickets. So my problem is, if the murder of black Americans is too risky of an issue for you to stand up as a leader, then who are they really playing for.”

It’s a strong statement from Moton and one that should be addressed. That it is in some way a controversial stance to admit racism exists and that black people shouldn’t be killed or brutalized by police when unarmed, one that coaches are afraid to take that stance out of fear that they may lose boosters or fans, is a significant issue, particularly given the benefit they receive from players who play (without pay, I should add) for them and face these issues in real life.

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The death of George Floyd in Minnesota last week sparked nationwide outrage and protests in a number of American cities. One of those cities is Chicago, where actor John Cusack shared video from on Saturday that highlighted the aftermath of protests that turned violent between police officers and those protesting police brutality against people of color.

Floyd’s death in police custody came after video footage showed an officer kneeling on his neck for nearly nine minutes despite protests that he couldn’t breathe. Subsequent protests have ranged from peaceful demonstrations to those that veer toward vandalism and destruction of property as police forces try to disperse protesters using force, violence which has been captured on video and shared online.

Cusack shared video late Saturday night of an incident in which police officers shoved him while he was filming a burning vehicle from a clash between protesters and law enforcement. It started with Cusack riding his bike around Chicago to survey the scene.

Later, Cusack expressed frustration with his own encounter with law enforcement, claiming his bike was hit with police batons and ordered to leave, footage he captured and shared on Twitter.

In another tweet, Cusack took a picture of the “peace officers” he claimed used batons on him.

The past five days have been defined by protests nationwide against the death of George Floyd, who was killed by a police officer that had his knee on Floyd’s neck for nearly nine minutes while Floyd pleaded for his life. It was just the latest example of an unarmed black person being killed by a police officer and has sparked massive protests in cities across the country.

Some of these have been headed up by athletes like Stephen Jackson, a childhood friend of Floyd’s who called him “Twin,” and Jaylen Brown, who organized a protest in his hometown of Atlanta at the Martin Luther King Jr Center on the east side of downtown. The movement hasn’t just affected athletes stateside, as some Bundesliga players have used their platform to amplify the message globally.

On Sunday, Borussia Dortmund’s Jadon Sancho scored a goal to give his team a 2-0 lead and then removed his jersey to reveal a shirt with “Justice for George Floyd” written on it.

Sancho finished the game with a hat-trick in a tremendous performance in a 6-1 win, and made sure he used the opportunity to keep the message of seeking justice for black people at the forefront of the conversation. He wasn’t alone this weekend in voicing support for Floyd on the pitch in Germany, as others offered remembrances of Floyd on armbands or knelt in support of the movement.

For many, sports are the distraction, and it’s precisely for that reason that demonstrations and continued messaging from athletes during games is so important. Violence against the black community isn’t something they get to escape at any time, and as such it’s important to remind audiences of that uncomfortable truth at all times so it’s inescapable to them as well. The more the majority is confronted with these images and messages, the better chance we actually step forward and make the calls for change.

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