Hornets coach reacts to ruling in murder of George Floyd: ‘There’s still a lot of work to do’
Before Hornets coach James Borrego addressed anything in his pregame Zoom call with reporters Tuesday, he wanted to address the verdict in the Derek Chauvin case.
Chauvin, a former Minnesota police officer, was found guilty on all three counts he faced Tuesday for the murder of George Floyd, including second degree murder. Floyd, a Black man, died after Chauvin knelt on his neck for more than nine minutes. The incident was captured on video, sparking protests and demonstrations across the United States, including in Charlotte, and brought attention to racism and police brutality.
Borrego said the case was something the team has talked about “in tremendous depth.”
“It was an appropriate verdict,” Borrego said. “But we’ve got a lot of work to do (in society). Our league has done a great job helping to bring change and continuing to seek change. Push for change. Today was hopefully a day of healing, but also to push us to want more, to be more.”
The Hornets have been among the NBA’s more active franchises in regards to becoming involved in social justice issues.
Last June, Michael Jordan and Jordan Brand pledged to donate $100 million over the next 10 years to organizations working for racial equality, social justice and greater access to education. The pledge was in direct response to Floyd’s murder.
The Hornets also led a voter registration campaign for people in North and South Carolina to educate people on how to register to vote, where to vote and how to apply for an absentee ballot.
”I’m proud to work for a league and an organization that wants to see that and continue the dialogue,” Borrego said. “We won’t stop here. We will continue as an organization, in our own community, to call out injustices and to push our communities to do better. That’s what we all want for our kids, our families. Today was a step in the right direction, but there’s still a lot of work to do.”
