NASCAR driver suspended indefinitely for liking a meme mocking George Floyd’s death
Topics: George Floyd
Stewart Perrie
Featured Image Credit: Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images. Kenny Altidor/ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images
Topics: George Floyd
A NASCAR driver has been suspended indefinitely from the sport after liking a meme mocking George Floyd's death.
Legacy Motor Club was the first to announce their punishment against Noah Gragson over the social media issue.
It released a statement saying: "We have made the decision to suspend Noah Gragson effective immediately regarding his actions that do not represent the values of our team.
"Josh Berry will drive the No. 42 entry for this weekend’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Michigan."
Advert
It didn't take long for NASCAR to then hand out its disciplinary action.
"NASCAR fully supports Legacy Motor Club’s decision to suspend Noah Gragson," the American auto racing sanctioning and operating company said.
"Following his actions on social media, NASCAR has determined that Gragson has violated the Member Conduct section of the 2023 NASCAR Rule Book and has placed him under indefinite suspension."
Gragson is currently in his first season of the Cup series and was ranked 33rd, according to Fox News.
The meme in question was a photo of George Floyd's face photoshopped onto a crab's body.
It had text over the top that said 'Under da Knee, Under da Knee', which references the song from The Little Mermaid and also how Floyd died.
The man was murdered back in 2020 after Minneapolis Police Department officer Derek Chauvin knelt on the back of his neck for more than nine minutes.
Floyd's death sparked a resurgence of the Black Lives Matter movement in the United States and sparked similar protests and conversations around the world.
Gragson has posted on social media over the weekend following the decisions from NASCAR and Legacy Motor Club.
"I am disappointed in myself for my lack of attention and actions on social media," he said.
"I understand the severity of this situation. I love and appreciate everyone.
"I try to treat everyone equally no matter who they are. I messed up plain and simple."
Interestingly, Elon Musk has pledged that anyone who gets punished by their employer for liking or posting something on Twitter/X will be helped.
He wrote: "If you were unfairly treated by your employer due to posting or liking something on this platform, we will fund your legal bill. No limit. Please let us know."