LeBron James is usually one of the leaders in terms of athletes who speak out about public matters. In the case of the gunned down child, Tamir Rice, however, James has remained silent. on the sideline. Not because he doesn’t agree or think that he doesn’t need to say anything, but rather because he is not informed.
“For me, I’ve always been a guy who’s took pride in knowledge of every situation that I’ve ever spoke on,” James said. “And to be honest, I haven’t really been on top of this issue, so it’s hard for me to comment.
“I understand that any lives that’s lost, what we want more than anything is prayer and the best for the family, for anyone. But for me to comment on the situation, I don’t have enough knowledge about it.”
In an interview with News One, Samantha Rice, mother of Tamir Rice, spoke out about how disappointed she was that no public figure spoke up in support, especially LeBron James.
“I think it’s quite sad that LeBron hasn’t spoken out about my son,” Samaria Rice said in a videotaped interview posted Tuesday on newsone.com. “I’m not asking him to sit out a game. I know his kids got to eat too. But you can at least put on a shirt or something…I’m not asking nobody to quit their job or anything, but make a statement for us black people out here.”
When asked about the situation or if he had a public solution, James had this to say.
“This issue is bigger than me, it’s about everyone,” James said. “And gun violence and tragedies and kids losing lives at a young age, some way, somehow we need to understand that that matters more than just an individual.”
The mother of Tamir Rice spoke out about the support she’s received so far, which she admits has been much lower than what she expected.
“I’ve been getting some support, but some people out there supporting me…are not really supporting me,” Rice said. “In this situation, people do their own thing. It’s sad to say that all the clergy leaders out there haven’t reached out to ask me how I was doing after the grand jury response. It may have been maybe one, and I know quite a few of them, so it’s just sad. Its sad that I don’t have the support for my 12-year-old son who’s gone.”
It seems like this attempt to receive greater support will continue on unless LeBron or another major athlete and spoke to the Cavs. Just the other day, protestors took to the streets surrounding Quicken Loans Arena to show support.