Thierry Henry takes a knee for 8:46 minutes during MLS match in solidarity with Black Lives Matter movement
Thierry Henry, a soccer World Cup-winner with France, showed his solidarity with the George Floyd movement by kneeling for eight minutes and 46 seconds as his side participated in the MLS is Back tournament on Thursday, July 9. Henry, who is of Antillean heritage, is considered to be one of the game's most legendary strikers and has embarked on a managerial career since he hung up his boots in 2014 following a stint with the New York Red Bulls.
After a brief but unsuccessful stint as the manager of Monaco, the French club that gave him his debut, Henry was hired as the manager of Major League Soccer team Montreal Impact and is now plying his trade back on U.S. shores. Henry, now 42, sported a t-shirt with 'Black Lives Matter' emblazoned on the front for his team's game against the New England Revolution in what was the opening game of the MLS is Back tournament and knelt on the sidelines after kick-off.
Footage showed him quietly observing the game on his knees for eight minutes and 46 seconds before getting back up again. He addressed the gesture in a press conference after the match, which his team lost 1-0, and said, "I sat down for 8 mins and 46 seconds, I guess you guys know why. It was just to pay tribute and show support to the cause. That was basically it. [It's] pretty simple."
Eight minutes and 46 seconds was the amount of time that Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin knelt on George Floyd's neck after arresting him over reports of a counterfeit bill on Memorial Day. In footage that was recorded by a bystander and has now been viewed hundreds of millions of times around the world, Floyd could be seen begging Chauvin to let him go, calling for his mother, and gasping, "I can't breathe," before losing consciousness and becoming unresponsive.
He was declared dead a few hours later, and his death has sparked what many are terming as the largest civil rights movement in human history. Besides protests and demonstrations in all 50 states, people from around the world have shown their solidarity by kneeling and wearing 'I can't breathe' t-shirts.
The demonstrations have made their way into sport as well, with Henry not alone in supporting the movement in its fight against racial inequality and police brutality. On Wednesday, stars from every team in the MLS walked on to the pitch before Orlando City's game against Inter Miami -- the first game since the season was suspended because of the coronavirus pandemic -- wearing black gloves, face masks, and t-shirts.
That protest, too, lasted eight minutes and 46 seconds, with players from Orlando City and Inter Miami kneeling in the center circle while others took places around the field.
Chauvin, 44, has been charged with second-degree murder in Floyd's death and is facing up to 40 years in prison. Three other officers who were at the scene but did nothing to stop Floyd's death, Thomas Lane, Tou Thao, and J. Alexander Kueng, are facing charges of aiding and abetting second-degree murder.