Knicks Issue Statement on Social Injustice After Series of Reported Memos

The New York Knicks issued a statement Tuesday in which they condemned racism and bigotry.

According to ESPN's Malika Andrews, Knicks owner James Dolan previously sent two memos to Madison Square Garden staff members, including one that suggested the Knicks did not initially intend to release a public statement.

In the first memo, Dolan wrote that Knicks are "not any more qualified than anyone else to offer our opinion on social matters." In the second memo, Dolan noted that the Knicks don't condone "racism against anyone."

The Knicks' statement comes two weeks after 46-year-old black man George Floyd died while in police custody in Minneapolis on May 25.

Floyd was pronounced dead at a Minneapolis-area hospital after officer Derek Chauvin kept his knee pressed against the back of Floyd's neck for nearly nine minutes while he was facedown on the ground and in handcuffs. Floyd said several times that he couldn't breathe, but Chauvin didn't move his knee.

Chauvin was fired, arrested and charged with second-degree murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. The other three officers on the scene—Thomas Lane, J.A. Keung and Tou Thao—were also fired and charged with aiding and abetting.

Many professional sports leagues, teams and players have spoken out against racial inequality, police brutality and social injustice since them, and some have taken part in protests as well.

In a special article for ESPN last year, Richard Lapchick reported that 81.9 percent of the NBA's players during the 2018-19 season were people of color.

Of the 17 players who appeared in a game for the Knicks during the 2019-20 season, 16 of them were black.

The Knicks' delay in releasing a statement regarding racial inequality is the latest in a long line of issues the organization has taken heat for in recent years.

In addition to the fact that the Knicks have missed the playoffs in seven consecutive years, Dolan banned former Knicks great Charles Oakley from Madison Square Garden three years ago, and director Spike Lee took issue with Dolan in March for being forced to use a different entrance than the one he had used for 28 years.