Why This NFL Player's Post on Ferguson Has Gone Viral
— -- NFL player Benjamin Watson is one of countless Americans still struggling to understand Michael Brown's shooting death at the hands of a Ferguson, Missouri, police officer.
Watson, a tight end for the New Orleans Saints, poured his heart out in a viral Facebook post late Tuesday. He described himself as confused, embarrassed, offended, angry and sad for a variety of reasons.
"I'm angry because the stories of injustice that have been passed down for generations seem to be continuing before our very eyes," he wrote.
The post has been shared more than 150,000 times on Facebook, and it appears Watson's honesty is what made the update go viral. Fans commented that they are "proud" of the athlete and "in awe." "Tears running down my face," one woman wrote.
Watson also addressed the racial tension that's sparked riots across the country, saying the problem is "sin," not "skin."
"Sin is the reason we rebel against authority," he wrote. "Sin is the reason we are racist, prejudiced and lie to cover for our own. Sin is the reason we riot, loot and burn."
Watson said he will never really know what happened between Brown and Darren Wilson, the police officer who shot the unarmed teenager this summer.
"I'm sympathetic, because I wasn't there so I don't know exactly what happened. Maybe Darren Wilson acted within his rights and duty as an officer of the law and killed Michael Brown in self defense like any of us would in the circumstance ... Or maybe he provoked Michael and ignited the series of events that led him to eventually murdering the young man to prove a point."
