Rose's T-shirt decision: Concern for the kids

It turns out Derrick Rose, the quiet basketball star from Englewood, is a rebel — by his own description.

Rose spoke Monday to a large gathering of reporters about his decision to wear a shirt that read, “I can't breathe,” during warm-ups before the Bulls played Golden State on Saturday at the United Center.

He was asked if his family was surprised by the rare public statement.

“They always call me a rebel,” Rose said after the Bulls practiced at the Advocate Center. “I kind of stay to myself a little bit, but I kind of do what I want. But not to hurt anybody or be disrespectful. I just did it in my own little way.”

The gesture garnered plenty of attention, in part because it was unusual for Rose to express a strong opinion, even in a quiet manner. He didn't speak to reporters after the game, saying Monday that was mostly because he was mad about the loss.

“I got (the shirt) made,” Rose said. “My best friend Randall (Hampton) brought it to the game. And I decided to wear it. It wasn't anyone's idea. I just wanted to support something that happened and that's what made me wear the shirt.

“I'm just happy that people paid attention to it. I think it touched a lot of people because I grew up in an impoverished area like that. And sometimes that happens a lot of times. It just touched a lot of people. And I wanted to make sure I got my point across.”

The phrase on Rose's shirt was a reference to Eric Garner, a New York man who died after a police officer put him in a chokehold during an arrest. In video of the altercation, Garner could be heard saying, “I can't breathe.”

Rose said he was also touched by the fatal shooting of Michael Brown by a police officer in Ferguson, Mo. Several members of the St. Louis Rams protested a grand jury's decision not to indict the officer by doing a so-called “hands up, don't shoot” pose during pregame introductions.

Rose isn't necessarily planning to express his opinion more often or become active politically. In this case, though, he was affected by some sad news and wanted to say something.

“Usually I stay out of politics and police brutality,” Rose said. “I'm not saying all cops are bad or anything. I'm just saying that what happened them days was uncalled for and I think it hurt a lot of people. It hurt the nation.

“My biggest concern is the kids. I know what they're thinking right now. I was one of them kids. When you live in an area like that and you don't got any hope and police are treating you any way — I'm not saying all police are treating kids bad — but when you live in an area like that, it gives you another reason to be bad. My biggest concern is the kids and making sure my son grows up in a safe environment.”

Rose said he probably wouldn't have made such a statement a few years ago, before he became a father. Like most parents, he's become concerned with the world his son will grow up in.

He wasn't aware of the strong reaction to his T-shirt and said he hadn't heard from any other athletes outside the Bulls locker room. LeBron James, however, publicly applauded Rose's decision. Detroit Lions running back Reggie Bush had “I can't breathe” written on his shirt before Sunday's game against Tampa Bay.

Rose received public praise from his coach, Tom Thibodeau, on Monday.

“He has something to say. I think it's a great message,” Thibodeau said. “It's about equality and justice for everybody. … Derrick's a great person. I think you guys know what he did earlier with the after-school program. He wants to stand for something and it's important to him.”

Rose said he never had a negative encounter with a police officer as a kid. He has plenty of connections with the police force, though, from friends and family as well as the many security guards at the United Center who are either retired or off-duty cops.

“I have friends that are police officers, good friends,” he said. “I have family members that are police officers. Like I said, I'm not saying every officer is bad, but in both of those situations I felt like patience would have taken care of both of those situations, if they would have waited a little longer or had the patience to ask questions. It happened and all you can do is learn from it.''

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