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Sports journalist Jason Whitlock wrote Tuesday that the early narrative surrounding the death of George Floyd amounted to a "race hoax" after leaked body camera footage of the incident that led to Floyd's death May 25 was made public.
"The George Floyd case is not a race crime," Whitlock, who is Black, wrote on OutKick.com. "No rational person can watch that footage and conclude the police were motivated by Floyd’s Black race."
The footage shows four Minneapolis police officers struggling with Floyd before one of them, Derek Chauvin, ultimately pins Floyd to the ground in a scene that was broadcast around the world.
Although Whitlock said Chauvin wasn't justified in kneeling on Floyd's neck, he argued it would be "virtually impossible to convict [the] former officers."
Chauvin has been charged with second-degree murder while the other three officers face charges of aiding and abetting Floyd's death. Many observers accused Chauvin of callously ignoring Floyd's cries that he couldn't breathe in the moments before his death.
But Whitlock argued that Chauvin had no reason to think that he should take Floyd's cries seriously, writing, "Nearly every word out of Floyd’s mouth was a desperate lie."
"The videos show police verbally and physically struggling to get Floyd to comply," Whitlock said. "Floyd appears panicked, disoriented, desperate and totally non-compliant."
The aftermath of Floyd's death saw an outpouring of support for the Black Lives Matter movement, with sports stars participating in demonstrations during the playing of "The Star-Spangled Banner"
"Professional athletes elected themselves the National Internal Affairs Department for American police," Whitlock wrote. "The NBA’s Orlando bubble is the headquarters for the NIAD."
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"Will anyone ask NIAD spokesmen [Los Angeles Lakers star] LeBron James, [Golden State Warriors coach] Steve Kerr, [San Antonio Spurs coach] Gregg Popovich and [NBA Commissioner] Adam Silver for their thoughts on the leaked Floyd footage? Will one of the media information ministers locked inside the bubble be allowed to query James, Kerr, Pop or Silver on this topic? Will one of the woke warriors on [ESPN host] Dan Le Batard’s radio show run a poll asking whether the leaked video footage is funny?"
Whitlock went on to argue that sports leagues needed stronger leadership and claimed that "the preservation of American freedom" was at stake.
"At some point, NFL and NBA ownership must realize they need leadership that is unafraid of their athlete employees," he wrote. "Kowtowing to LeBron’s social media following is a deadly mistake.
"This is no longer a debate about declining TV ratings for pro sports leagues. That’s inconsequential ... The subversion of sports culture is directly tied to the subversion of American culture. Sports culture proved the strength of our melting pot, the power of a diverse meritocracy."
Ben Crump, the attorney for the Floyd family, said the footage reinforces that Floyd posed no threat to the four officers.
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“The more video evidence you see, the more unjustifiable George Floyd's torture and death at the hands of the police becomes," Crump said Monday in a statement. "Although the allegation against George was for a non-violent offense involving a $20 bill, the police officers approached him with guns drawn, simply because he was a Black man.
"As this video shows, he never posed any threat," he added. "The officers' contradictions continue to build. If not for the videos, the world might never have known about the wrongs committed against George Floyd.”
Fox News' Louis Casiano contributed to this report.
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