|
The death of George Floyd, who died on May 25
after a white police officer in Minneapolis knelt on his neck,
ignited a wave of protests against the mistreatment of black
people.
World number two Jon Rahm has been an outspoken supporter of the
Black Lives Matter movement and explained during a virtual news
conference from Colonial Country Club, site of this week's
Charles Schwab Challenge, why it was important to do so.
"I've never been racially profiled for the colour of my skin,
but I have had some experiences. And it's not a good feeling,"
said Spain's Rahm.
"I can't fathom the reason why anybody would treat somebody
differently just the way you look or they sound or what you
believe in. We're all the same. We're all human beings, and we
should all be treated the same way."
The PGA Tour said on Tuesday that a moment of silence will be
held during each round this week in place of the 8:46 a.m. CT
(1345 GMT) tee time. Eight minutes and 46 seconds is how long
Floyd was filmed pinned under the police officer's knee.
World number 124 Harold Varner III, who is among a handful of
black players on the PGA Tour, spoke with Commissioner Jay
Monahan last week.
Varner said on Tuesday he was encouraged by the chat to think
that the PGA Tour will do its part to keep the fight against
racism in the conversation.
"This week won't be the last week, because it's getting to the
point where everyone has a voice that if the PGA Tour was to
forget it, they would get hounded every day," said Varner.
"So it's just kind of like yes, they're pressured, but I also
think that it's the right thing to do, and I think Jay knows
that."
(Reporting by Frank Pingue in Toronto; Editing by Toby Davis)
[© 2020 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2020 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content.
 |
|
