Derrick Rose has not been known to make sociopolitical statements, but he did on Saturday night prior to the Bulls-Warriors game at the United Center. During warm-ups, Rose wore a t-shirt with the words “I Can’t Breathe” on the front, referring to the last words of Eric Garner, a Staten Island man who died last summer after NYC police officer Daniel Pantaleo placed him in a chokehold.
People all over the country have been protesting a grand jury’s decision earlier this week to not prosecute Pantaleo, but Rose’s t-shirt still comes as a surprise as he has not been known in the past to make statements that are non-basketball related.
Of course this also comes on the heels of St. Louis Rams players exiting their tunnel prior to their game last week with a “hands up, don’t shoot” gesture in reference to the Michael Brown shooting in Ferguson.
