Reds' Joey Votto Says Privilege 'Made Me Complicit' in George Floyd's Death

Cincinnati Reds star Joey Votto penned an op-ed in the Cincinnati Enquirer on Sunday unpacking his feelings about the killing of George Floyd and the recent demonstrations across the country.

Votto opened the piece by saying he received a text from an African American teammate who told him to watch the video of Floyd's killing.

"My instincts provoked an instantaneous defense of the officer," Votto wrote. "Perhaps the man was resisting arrest? Maybe there is a story the video isn't telling?"

The six-time All-Star said he watched the video one day after the text exchange with his teammate and "wept" upon watching Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin kneel on Floyd's neck for nearly nine minutes. More than that, he came to understand how his race left him insulated from the scope of racial injustice:

"But I hear you now, and so that desire for normalcy is a privilege by which I can no longer abide. That privilege kept me from understanding the 'why' behind Colin Kaepernick's decision to kneel during the national anthem. That privilege allowed me to ignore my black teammates' grievances about their experiences with law enforcement, being profiled, and discriminated against. And that privilege has made me complicit in the death of George Floyd, as well as the many other injustices that blacks experience in the U.S. and my native Canada."

Kaepernick started protesting during the anthem in the 2016 NFL season, explaining at the time he felt the flag came to represent a United States "that oppresses black people and people of color."

Although Kaepernick hasn't played since 2016, the movement to which he contributed has carried on, and the focus has turned toward the former San Francisco 49ers quarterback again in the wake of Floyd's killing.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell issued a statement Friday saying the league made a mistake in not listening to players who engaged in social activism earlier:

The four officers involved in Floyd's arrest were fired from their jobs with the Minneapolis Police Department, and prosecutors charged Chauvin with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison subsequently charged Chauvin with second-degree murder and the other three officers, J. Alexander Kueng, Thomas Lane and Tou Thao, with aiding and abetting second-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.