NFL
Tom Brady, Steve Kerr, and Others Sign Letter Calling for Investigation in Ahmaud Arbery Death
Kyle Dalton began covering sports in 1992 after he graduated from the University of Texas school of journalism. He published his book Burned Orange: Tom Penders and 10 Years at the University of Texas in 2000, and joined Sportscasting in 2020. Kyle expertly covers the NFL, NASCAR, and NCAA football. Kyle finds inspiration in the unscripted drama of sports, the compelling journeys and life stories of the athletes who play the games, and he enjoys reading the work of Mitch Albom. He is a rabid consumer of all sports on all platforms: TV, Twitter, podcasts, live events, and more.
Get to know Kyle Dalton betterPublished11 May 2020
Tom Brady, Steve Kerr, Julian Edelman, and dozens of sports figures have signed a letter calling for an immediate federal investigation into the shooting death of Ahmaud Arbery. The case has drawn national attention as the 25-year-old jogger was chased and then shot in broad daylight. The two men allegedly involved were not initially arrested for the crime. Both men now face murder and aggravated assault charges.
Arbery is cousin of Detroit Lions safety
The death of Arbery has a direct connection to the NFL as he was the cousin of Detroit Lions safety Tracy Walker. Walker, a third-year player for the Lions, revealed on Twitter his relationship to the Arbery.
In an interview with E! News, Walker remembered his cousin as a “person full of laughter and joy” and said he would always brighten his day. He said the whole thing is surreal and crazy that a man was jogging by himself and getting exercise when he was gunned down.
“We can’t continue to kill ourselves and kill each other off. That’s not ok. We can’t continue with the violence.”
Walker added in an interview with ESPN, he’s so shocked by what has happened he’s replayed the video a hundred times trying to make sense of it all. Each time, he said, it leaves him more upset and angry it happened.
LeBron James speaks outs
With so much influence in the world of sports and beyond, LeBron James is one who carefully chooses his words and the time and place when to speak out on sensitive subjects. In the case of Arbery, James clearly believed this was the time and place.
James took to Twitter and talked about how it feels to be a black man who feels hunted on a daily basis when stepping outside of his home.
“We’re literally hunted EVERYDAY/EVERYTIME we step foot outside the comfort of our homes! Can’t even go for a damn jog man! Like WTF man are you kidding me?!?!?!?!?!? No man fr ARE YOU KIDDING ME!!!!! I’m sorry Ahmaud(Rest In Paradise) and my prayers and blessings sent to the heavens above to your family!!”
James followed up his tweet with the hashtags #StayWoke #ProfiledCauseWeAreSimplyBlack.
Tom Brady and others sign letter calling for investigation
New Tampa Bay quarterback Tom Brady has mostly stayed quiet on sensitive subjects in the past during his time in New England. That’s why former Arizona Cardinals receiver and Players Coalition co-founder Anquan Boldin was happy to see Brady join other sports figures in signing a letter that was sent to Attorney General William Barr and FBI Director Christopher Wray calling for an immediate federal investigation into the shooting death of Arbery.
“I think it’s very significant,” Boldin said on ESPN’s First Take. “Especially having Tom be a guy who hasn’t been involved in politics at all. He’s kind of stayed away from it. But it just goes to show that people are tired of (the injustice) happening. We’ve seen it over and over again, and far too long, we’ve allowed it to go on and not speak out about it. So to have someone like Tom Brady sign the letter, it was very significant.”
Brady, was among 64 signatures on the letter that included his former New England teammates, Julian Edelman and Ryan Izzo, as well as Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr, and Pro Football Hall of Famer Aeneas Williams.
