talkSPORT pundit Clinton Morrison made a passionate and powerful statement about racism and the ‘Black Lives Matter’ movement as he opened Wednesday’s White and Sawyer show.
The former Crystal Palace striker, like many people in the United States and across the world, has been left deeply upset and angry by the murder of George Floyd at the hands of a white policeman in Minneapolis.
Floyd, an unarmed black man, was senselessly killed on May 25 after a police officer knelt on his neck for several minutes.
The incident, and footage of Floyd’s plea that he ‘couldn’t breathe’, triggered major protests in Minneapolis, anger across the States, and sparked a global response over the treatment of black people worldwide.
Organisations, brands and people came together on Tuesday in a social media ‘blackout’ to spread the message that ‘Black Lives Matter’.
It’s a cause that has transcended all types of life, with a number of leading sports stars, including Formula 1 world champion Lewis Hamilton and England international Jadon Sancho, adding their voices to the protests.
The Bundesliga have said they are investigating the incident after Sancho was booked for displaying a message on his undershirt which read ‘justice for George Floyd’.
The Football Association have suggested players in England will face no punishment if they display ‘Black Lives Matter’ messages or protest Floyd’s death when action returns.
And Morrison hailed that decision from the FA, before addressing the issue of racism with his own passionate message.
The forward, who said he was left ‘boiling’ over the scenes in the States, said: “Why can’t these players like Jadon Sancho go on the pitch and say ‘Black Lives Matter’? Because they do matter! This does matter!
“I commend the FA for saying they are not going to punish players if they protest. It’s common sense. If you look in Germany they’re saying it’s politically not right, but I don’t care.
“If I was still playing now I would be saying, ‘you can fine me, you can ban me, but I don’t care, I’d put a message out there for the whole world to see…’
“I want justice for George Floyd, it is a disgrace what happened to him and to other people who have been killed out there, it’s not right.
“It’s about making a stand and doing whatever it takes to make people understand that black lives do matter, we are the same as everyone else, why are we different? We are all human beings and we all bleed the same.”
The topic has obviously been high on the agenda at talkSPORT Towers this week, and Morrison also had a message to the number of listeners who sent in messages to Jim White, Natalie Sawyer and the team to talk about something else.
“I didn’t want to go ranting and raving on the radio because I always seem to be talking about it,” said the former Premier League star.
“But when you see people making comments, ‘why are we talking about racism’ – don’t ask why we’re talking about it, ask why it’s happening and try to deal with it and help people!
“We need to talk about it! We’re getting messages from people saying they’re tired of us talking about racism… nah, I’ve not having it.
“Imagine how the people who have suffered racism and are still suffering racism feel! What they going through?
“It’s a load of rubbish! If people don’t want to be educated, don’t listen to the radio when I’m on then, it’s as simple as that.
“The reasons we’re talking about racism is because it needs to be addressed. What’s happening in America is an absolute disgrace. We have to talk about it, it’s something that’s happening in the world.
“I feel disgraced – why in 2020 are we only starting to talk about it and people are listening? This is been going on for years and years and years and I have to keep educating people.
“And we have to keep educating. We’re on big platforms, I’m on the radio so I’m going to talk about it and say I’m not happy about what’s going on the world, it’s an absolute disgrace at the moment.
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“The people sending in those messages are small-minded and not bothered, and they are the big reason why we are in this situation because they’re not trying to help us move forward.
“I’m not having people say that, no way!
“This is not just happening in America! We’ve seen racism in this country, it’s everywhere! I’m boiling about this. We’re all hurting with what’s going on in the world.
“I’m worried about what might happen to my kids, I’m worried about my family members, and it can happen to me.
“And the more we talk about it and the more these big people and big platforms get together and try to help each other, we will solve it eventually.
“That might not be in my lifetime, but in years to come, for my kids or grandkids, it might be sorted out.”
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