Brett Favre Isn't Sure What Derek Chauvin Deserves, But Believes He Was 'Absolutely Wrong'
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Days after lamenting that sports have become too political, former Vikings quarterback and NFL Hall of Famer Brett Favre shared his thoughts on the guilty verdict in the Derek Chauvin trial.
"You know, I find it hard to believe -- and I'm not defending Derek Chauvin in any way -- I find it hard to believe...that he intentionally meant to kill George Floyd," Favre said Wednesday on his "Bolling with Favre" podcast.
"That being said," Favre added, "[Chauvin's] actions were uncalled for...I don't know what led to that video that we saw where his knee is on his neck, but the man had thrown in the towel. It was just uncalled for."
On the podcast, Favre and his co-host, Eric Bolling, appeared unclear on the exact charges Chauvin was convicted of in Floyd's killing. On Tuesday, the jury found the ex-Minneapolis police officer guilty of second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder and manslaughter.
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In the second-degree murder charge, the prosecution did not have to prove that Chauvin meant to kill Floyd, only that he intended to apply unlawful force that caused bodily harm.
"I didn't watch the day-to-day ins and outs of the trial," Favre said, "but I'm not surprised by the outcome, fair or not. He deserved something. What? I don't know. He was absolutely wrong."
Earlier this month, Favre drew criticism after saying that when athletes kneel for the national anthem, in protest over police brutality, it "creates more turmoil than good." He'd previously voiced concern that the particular form of protest is divisive in the locker room and for fans, even after saying that Colin Kaepernick, who started the national anthem protest in 2016, would be remembered as a "hero."
RELATED: Brett Favre Says Colin Kaepernick Will One Day Have 'Hero Status' Similar To Pat Tillman
USA Today reported that his recent comments on kneeling were made on April 11 on the "The Andrew Klavan Show," on the conservative news website The Daily Wire.
"It's really a shame that we've come to this," Favre said on the show. "Something has to unify us, and I felt like the flag, standing patriotically — because Blacks and whites and Hispanics have fought for this country and died for this country. It's too bad."
On Wednesday's podcast episode, Favre defended his comments on kneeling during the national anthem. "I just gave my opinion," he said. "I'm certainly not a racist, in spite of what may people think. I'm for unity. I just feel like there's a better way to unify our country."
