NFL And Roc Nation Release PSA On Police Shooting Death Of Botham Jean
The lawyer for Botham Jean’s family, S. Lee Merritt, announced on Twitter that the NFL and Botham Jean Foundation produced a Public Service Announcement about the life and death of Jean. The deal was apparently brokered by Jay Z’s Roc Nation according to Merritt.
Jean was killed in his apartment in September of 2018, by then Dallas, Texas police officer Amber Guyer. According to her statement, Guyer entered Jean’s apartment thinking it was hers and saw a man she believed was an intruder and opened fire. Guyer is white and Jean is black, so the obvious racial connotations, undertones and biases were all present.
Since his death and Guyer’s subsequent conviction, (she received 10 years), the Botham Jean Foundation was started by his family.
The PSA features Jean’s family, his parents and siblings all talking about his life, death, and why we need to create change to prevent the senseless killing of Black people.
A few of the more poignant moments in the PSA include Jean’s mother Allsion, saying: "The world has lost a great man. He was destined for greatness. What I hope to see happening is that our black boys are not seen as a threat." His sister, Alisa Findley, adds, "The color of my skin can be perceived as a weapon, and it's not."
According to TMZ, the Botham Jean story is the latest project from Roc Nation’s "Responsibility Program" which has produced multiple PSAs, highlighting victims of police brutality -- but this is the first one sponsored by the NFL.
