Jon Jones condemns police officer involved in death of George Floyd: ‘We need justice’

UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones is using his platform to address what he sees as a grave injustice.

On Monday in Minneapolis, George Floyd, 46, died after he was detained by the Minneapolis police, who were responding to a call suspecting a man of forgery. One of the officers pinned a handcuffed Floyd to the ground by placing his knee on the back of Floyd’s neck. Video of the incident surfaced on Facebook and quickly went viral, drawing worldwide attention.

In the video, an unnamed police officer can be seen kneeling on Floyd’s neck while Floyd protests that he is unable to breathe. Floyd was later taken to a hospital where he died. The exact cause of death is still to be determined.

Four police officers involved in Floyd’s death have all been “separated from employment,” according to a police spokesman. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey fully supported that decision and noted that he was told by the chief of police that, “The technique that was used is not permitted; is not a technique that our officers get trained in on. ... There is no reason to apply that kind of pressure with a knee to someone’s neck.”

Floyd’s death led to a protest at the intersection where the incident occurred and reignited the ongoing controversy surrounding police brutality and racial dynamics in the United States.

Jones authored a series of tweets on Tuesday addressing the situation. To explain how dangerous the officer’s methods were, Jones compared the “blood choke” to fellow UFC fighter Ovince Saint Preux’s signature “Von Preux” submission hold, and added, “that officer applied just enough pressure to keep him alive for almost six minutes in that chokehold. In all my years of fighting I can honestly say I’ve never experienced anything close to that level of torture.”

Jones went on to call for “a nationwide policy change,” criticizing the officer for what he believed to be excessive force.

“If you can’t hold a man who is in handcuffs down by his feet you’re a p*ssy and probably shouldn’t be wearing that badge,” Jones wrote. He added that everyone, regardless of race, should be outraged and that, “We need justice.”

His last tweet of the series featured a screenshot of the officer in question kneeling on Floyd with the caption, “Officer with his prize kill. Will the government tell the world this is OK?”

See Jones’s full statement below:

I wouldn’t wish the way George Floyd was murdered on my worst enemy. That officer applied just enough pressure to keep him alive for almost six minutes in that chokehold. In all my years of fighting I can honestly say I’ve never experienced anything close to that level of torture.
There needs to be a nationwide policy change. When a man is in handcuffs and is screaming that he cannot breathe. Get the f*ck off his chest and or neck. If you cant hold a man who is in handcuffs down by his feet you’re a p*ssy and probably shouldn’t be wearing that badge.
That whole if you can talk you can breathe crap is bulls*it. What that man went through was worse than drowning.
The dude literally at one point cried out for his mother. That officer was disgusting and every other officer, Brown person white person, yellow, citizen in this country should be pissed off. We need justice.
Anyone who has practiced the very basics of jujitsu recognizes a #bloodchoke when they see this. That was as clear as day #murder #torture
It’s the same exact concept as the OSP choke. The anxiety that man had to of been experiencing must’ve been excruciating.
Officer with his prize kill. Will the government tell the world this is OK?