The George Zimmerman verdict has been the most controversial topic in America over the past week since the Florida man was acquitted on Saturday in the shooting death of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin. Several powerful figures from the sports world have voiced their opinions on the matter, with most of them bashing the legal system and ripping the jury.
Charles Barkley took a different approach on Thursday. During an appearance on CNBC’s “Closing Bell,” Barkley said he agrees with the verdict and that the media has a “hidden agenda” and are using the case as an avenue to discuss racism.
“I feel sorry that young kid got killed, but they didn’t have enough evidence to charge them,” Barkley said, as transcribed by Deadspin. “Something clearly went wrong that night. Clearly something went wrong, and I feel bad for anybody who loses a kid. But if you looked at the case and you don’t make it — there was some racial profiling, no question about it. But something happened that changed the dynamic of that night. And I know, and that’s probably not a popular opinion among most people, but just looking at the evidence I agree with the verdict.”
The case boiled down to who made contact with who. Zimmerman’s defense argued that he shot Martin in self-defense after Martin attacked him. Prosecutors claimed Zimmerman shot Martin because he was racist and simply felt like it. Barkley is convinced Martin went after Zimmerman after Zimmerman racially profiled him.
“I think Trayvon Martin, God rest his soul, I think he did flip the switch and start beating the hell out of Mr. Zimmerman. But it was just a bad situation,” Barkley said.
Barkley said he was irritated by people on television who didn’t actually care about the case, but simply used it express their own opinions about racism.
“You know, that’s the thing that bothered me the most because I watched this trial closely, and I watched all these people on television talking about it,” he said. “A lot of these people have a hidden agenda. You know, they want to have their racist views, whether they are white or black.”
Obviously people like Marcus Vick and these star NFL receivers would strongly disagree with Barkley. I’ll be the first to admit I haven’t studied the case closely enough to pass judgment on the verdict, but I know enough to know that Barkley’s opinion won’t be popular. That’s certainly nothing new for Sir Charles.
