Jim Harbaugh 'really, really upset' about George Floyd's 'outrageous' death
Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh is one of the millions across the United States upset about the death of Minneapolis resident George Floyd.
Floyd died Monday night after a police officer had his knee on his neck for nearly eight minutes. The officer, Derek Chauvin, has been fired by the Minneapolis Police Department along with the three other officers who were on the scene at the time Floyd was pinned to the ground and struggling to breathe.
The firings of the officers came after video of Floyd’s death captured by a witness became public. When Harbaugh was asked Thursday by Rich Eisen about what books he was currently reading, Harbaugh said he was preoccupied with Floyd’s death.
“Today, I’ll tell you what. I’m really, really upset about the George Floyd death and that’s kind of got me preoccupied today,” Harbaugh said. “Just very horrendous. … I’m looking forward to there being an investigation and waiting for charges. That’s completely outrageous.”
Numerous reports published Thursday outlined the numerous complaints made against Chauvin through the course of his police career. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey has asked for the Hennepin County District Attorney to press criminal charges against Chauvin.
Harbaugh coached Colin Kaepernick
Former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick played for the San Francisco 49ers when Harbaugh coached the team. Harbaugh said he sometimes texts back and forth with Kaepernick and had this to say regarding Kaepernick’s reasoning for kneeling during the national anthem:
“If you didn’t know then, you know now,” Harbaugh said.
Harbaugh had a winning season with the 49ers in his first three seasons with the team. After an 8-8 season in 2014, Harbaugh had a “mutual” parting of ways with the team and went to Michigan, where his teams have won 10 games in three of his five seasons.
Kaepernick was with the 49ers for two more seasons after Harbaugh’s departure.
Minnesota cut football contract with MPD
Wednesday night, the University of Minnesota — a member of the Big Ten along with Michigan — said it would be ending its deal with the Minneapolis Police Department to provide “specialized services” at football games. With its own police force and the ability to contract with neighboring cities like St. Paul, the school should easily be able to replace the Minneapolis police force before the season begins in September.
– – – – – – –
Nick Bromberg is a writer for Yahoo Sports.
More from Yahoo Sports: