Jayson Tatum Says Washington D.C. Crisis ‘Heavy On’ Celtics’ Hearts

Wednesday likely will be a day no one will forget.

Chaos erupted in Washington D.C. as supporters of President Donald Trump stormed the Capitol building.

The unrest led to the Boston Celtics and Miami Heat walking off the court during warmups at AmericanAirlines Arena to hold a players-only meeting. The teams issued a joint statement before tipping off as scheduled.

The protests come not long after learning the officer who shot Jacob Blake in the back and paralyzing him would not face charges.

And even though the Celtics eked out an exciting win over the Heat, Jayson Tatum revealed the teams’ hearts were heavy while playing.

“It was heavy on our hearts and we was thinking about it,” Tatum told reporters during his media availability. And, unfortunately, we continue to be in the same situation, and we just had to open space in the locker room to discuss these things — whether we were going to play or not, similar to the bubble. And like you said, it’s 2021 and we continue to find ourselves in the same situation. And it’s tough because we’re not surprised by what we see on TV.

“It’s just the world we live in. I feel like the same energy should be kept as when we see our people peacefully protesting for things that we see: people getting murdered on TV and live and on videos. You know, they’re protesting, or rioting, the Capitol for losing an election. It’s two different things. And I want the same energy on TV to be, ‘they’re thugs and criminals.’ You know, the same terms they use when they see our people protesting for losing our lives.

“I think it’s bigger than basketball. I think it’s bigger than the game today. But I just feel like the statement of us talking about it and going on the court on national TV could shed more light than not playing. And that’s what we talked about in the locker room.”

Jaylen Brown also offered a passionate response after the game.