Retired billionaire boxer, Floyd Mayweather has offered to pay for the funeral services of George Floyd in Houston, Minnesota, Charlotte and a fourth location to be determined later, Mayweather Promotions Chief Executive Officer, CEO, Leonard Ellerbe has disclosed.
“He’ll probably get mad at me for saying that, but yes, [Mayweather] is paying for the funeral,” Mayweather Promotions CEO Leonard Ellerbe told Steve Kim of ESPN.
Ellerbe added Mayweather had spoken to Floyd’s family and that his offer has been accepted. TMZ later posted a photo of a check from Mayweather for $88,500 made out to the Fort Bend Memorial funeral home.
Floyd died after since-fired Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin kneeled on his neck during Floyd’s arrest while three other officers looked on. Those officers—Tou Thao, J. Alexander Kueng, and Thomas K. Lane—have also been fired, though they haven’t been charged with any crimes. Chauvin was charged with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.
Many other athletes and sporting figures have spoken out against the killing and joined in the protests happening around the country.
San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich said the disproportionate violence against African Americans is a systemic problem and that the “system has to change,” per Dave Zirin of The Nation:
“The thing that strikes me is that we all see this police violence and racism and we’ve seen it all before but nothing changes. That’s why these protests have been so explosive. But without leadership and an understanding of what the problem is, there will never be change. And white Americans have avoided reckoning with this problem forever because it’s been our privilege to be able to avoid it. That also has to change,” he said
