Philadelphia Eagles stars Carson Wentz and Zach Ertz spoke out Thursday about the case of George Floyd, who died earlier this week after being arrested in Minneapolis.
Wentz and Ertz tweeted separate statements.
“Been thinking about the George Floyd situation and thinking of the words to say [and] coming up empty,” Wentz said. “All I know is that the institutional racism in this country breaks my heart and needs to stop. Can’t even fathom what the black community has to endure on a daily basis.
“Being from North Dakota, I’ve spent a large part of my life surrounded by people of similar color, so I’m never gonna act like I know what the black community goes through or even has gone through already. I’ll never know the feeling of having to worry about my kids going outside because of their skin color. However, I do know that we are all equal at the foot of the cross and Jesus taught us to value others’ lives like they were our own — regardless of skin tone.
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“So, this might seem like a ramble — and perhaps it is. I don’t understand the society we live in that doesn’t value all human life. It’s heartbreaking and disturbing. My prayers go out to every man, woman, and child that has to ensure the effects of the racism in our society.”
Ertz said he had a hard time coming up with the right words to say.
“Over the past few days my emotions have been swirling; consistently trying to come up with the perfect words to write in regards to George Floyd and the tragic murder that took place in Minnesota,” Ertz said. “With that being said, even the thought of trying to come up with the ‘perfect’ saying is so damn selfish. What I do know is that I am unbelievably sorry. I am sorry for the pain and hurt the African American community has endured by another human and more than anything I am sorry that you feel that you are alone in this situation.
“Everyday I wake up grateful for what Jesus has done in my life. The substantial debt he has done in my life. The substantial debt forgave me is something that I will never take for granted however that grace was not because of my skin color!! It was solely because He loves us! We are all created equal, period, and I am so sorry that this system has perpetuated lies that we are not.
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“Julie and I are standing with you all during this time, solely out of love. I will not believe that the America of the past is going to be the America of the future. Julie and I are committed to learning how we can help and I hope there will be people out there that are willing to teach.”
Floyd died Monday night following his arrest for alleged forgery. Video footage from the incident showed a Minneapolis police officer kneeling on Floyd’s neck. Floyd was pronounced dead in the hospital.