NASCAR Temporarily Bans Driver Noah Gragson Over Liking Disparaging George Floyd Joke
NASCAR and Legacy Motor Club have suspended racecar driver Noah Gragson indefinitely after he liked a racially insensitive meme on Instagram. The meme mocked the death of George Floyd, a Black man murdered by a Minneapolis police officer, which led to international protests against racial injustice in America.
NASCAR explained their decision in a statement, "After examining Gragson's actions on social media, he has been found to have violated the member conduct section of the 2023 NASCAR rule book, resulting in his indefinite suspension."
Legacy Motor Club also released a similar statement, suggesting that Josh Berry will drive in Gragson's place during Sunday's race at Michigan International Speedway.
Responding to the suspension, Gragson shared an apologetic message on Instagram, "I'm severely disappointed in myself for being careless and insensitive on social media. I'm aware of the seriousness of the situation, and I value everyone. I strive to treat everyone equally, regardless of their background. Unfortunately, I made a mistake."
Gragson, a 25-year-old Las Vegas resident, was competing in his first full season in the Cup series and was placed 33rd in points at the time.
The Intriguing Background
Gragson, the descendant of Oran Gragson, is the first Las Vegas mayor to prioritize hiring African-Americans en masse. In addition to being a strong advocate for the NAACP, Mayor Gragson played a crucial role in the Moulin Rouge Agreement, which put an end to segregation in Las Vegas casinos in 1960.
George Floyd, the victim of the incident, was Black and died on May 26, 2020, when officer Derek Chauvin knelt on his neck for over nine minutes while Floyd was in handcuffs and lying facedown on the street, gasping, "I can't breathe."
After Floyd's death, protests erupted in Minneapolis and later expanded nationwide, involving more than 2,000 cities and towns in 60 countries as part of the Black Lives Matter movement. The unrest that ensued in the US during this period resulted in 19 deaths and an estimated $1-2 billion in damages. Since then, NASCAR has banned the display of the Confederate flag, a symbol commonly associated with white supremacists, at all its events.
Officer Chauvin was found guilty of second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder, and manslaughter in April 2021 and was sentenced to 22.5 years in prison. The Minnesota Supreme Court has refused to hear his appeal, and it is not expected that the US Supreme Court will take on his case.
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Source: www.casino.org
