A Minnesota lawmaker courted controversy on Sunday in a tweet that linked professional basketball players to street crime.
State Rep. Pat Garofalo (R) tweeted that there could be an uptick in crime if most of the NBA’s teams were to fold:
Let’s be honest, 70% of teams in NBA could fold tomorrow + nobody would notice a difference w/ possible exception of increase in streetcrime
— Rep. Pat Garofalo (@PatGarofalo) March 9, 2014
The tweet drew accusations of racism, and Garofalo responded to a few of his critics:
@BBallJenky True. Can’t really dispute that!
— Rep. Pat Garofalo (@PatGarofalo) March 9, 2014
But the Republican lawmaker denied to Minneapolis TV station KARE that the tweet was racially charged.
“I was talking about the NBA’s high arrest rate,” Garofalo told the news station.
“I really don’t understand how being critical of a culture of pro athletes has anything to do with race,” he added. “This is a behavior that transcends the race of the athlete, and it seems to be a culture in all professional sports these days.”
h/t Gawker
