Sports

Pittsburgh’s professional sports teams condemn racism, violence following death of George Floyd

PITTSBURGH — In the wake of calls to action amid protests across the country, the Pittsburgh Penguins, Pirates and Steelers released statements condemning racism and violence following the death of George Floyd.

“This has been a horrible time for our country and our city,” the Penguins said in a statement. “We are all appalled by senseless violence and share the outrage that racism and social injustice continue to permeate our society. The killing of Mr. Floyd impacted us all. Moving forward from this moment, and after the violence that took place in our own city on Saturday, we must work together to ensure that we always treat each other with dignity, respect, and a spirit of understanding. Let’s all be better together. Starting right now.”

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The Sidney Crosby Foundation tweeted the following statement from the Penguins captain:

“What happened to George Floyd cannot be ignored. Racism that exists today in all forms is not acceptable. While I am not able to relate to the discrimination that black and minority communities face daily, I will listen and educate myself on how I can help make a difference. Together, we will find solutions through necessary dialogue and a collective effort.”

Penguins forward Jason Zucker also spoke out on social media, tweeting a statement which said, in part, “At the very VERY least, you can use your voice. I am pro justice. I am pro racial equality. I am pro accountability. Black lives matter. I will never know the plight of our black community, but you have my support and my voice.”

The Pirates also emphasized a need to come together and work with officials in the community to eliminate racism.

“The killing of George Floyd is yet another in a long, sad line of senseless acts of racial injustice in our country that we must all speak out against. Our deepest sympathies go out to the Floyd family and all of those affected. We stand with the black and brown communities and the thousand of peaceful protesters who are calling for much needed systematic change throughout our nation. We all must work together to eliminate racism in any and all forms, no matter where it may exist. It has no place in our society.

“We believe that words are meaningless without action. We commit to actively and purposefully utilize our unique public position as a sports franchise to help drive awareness, build unity, and push for an end to these tragedies. We have already begun to reach out to our community leaders to listen, learn and identify ways that we can provide needed support. We know there is no immediate solution, but the Pittsburgh Pirates are committed to investing the time, energy and resources necessary to help effect positive change.Now is the time for us to come together as a community, and be a part of the solution that we all seek.”

Several Pittsburgh Steelers players, along with owner Art Rooney II, released statements of their own on Wednesday.

“We have witnessed the anger and frustration in our city and around the country relating to the killing of George Floyd and the recent deaths of African-American men and women,” Rooney said. “As an organization, we will continue to listen to our players, coaches, alumni and leaders in our community and work together to bring awareness and change in the effort to create a more fair and equal community.”