Anger, frustration, sadness and outrage were evident in the NBA on Friday when a video was released in which 29-year-old Tire Nichols was beaten to death by five Memphis police officers.
Several teams around the league issued statements of support for the family. They strongly reject the violence perpetrated by the police against black citizens.
“This is crazy,” lamented Miami coach Erik Spoelstra, who opened his pregame news conference Friday by talking about Nichols.
The officers, all black, face charges of intentional homicide, aggravated assault, aggravated kidnapping, misconduct and abuse of authority.
"This was a senseless act that should never have happened," said Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins.
“Being away from Memphis these last couple of days, it's been really hard to deal with what's going on in our city,” he admitted.
Several teams like Miami, Atlanta, Cleveland, Minnesota and Milwaukee also issued statements.
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The NBA released its statement a couple of hours after video of the beating was released, sparking protests in multiple cities.
"The images of Tire Nichols' life being taken needlessly shortened are horrendous," the league said.
"While there have been steps toward accountability in this case, the NBA family is continually committed to partnering with advocates, policy makers, and authorities to work toward solutions to the problems we continue to face," they said. .
AP
