Giants president Farhan Zaidi joined a growing number of people nationwide criticizing a Scottsdale, Ariz. city councilman who invoked George Floyd’s dying words while protesting an order to wear masks to combat coronavirus.
The normally affable Zaidi couldn’t control his anger when talking to The Athletic about how Scottsdale Councilman Guy Phillips mockingly tore off his mask Wednesday and repeatedly said “I can’t breathe” during an anti-mask rally.
Here’s video of Scottsdale City Councilman Guy Phillips shouting “I Can’t Breathe” before removing his mask at today’s Anti-Mask Rally in Arizona:
Mocking Eric Garner & George Floyd and many others in this moment is something I feel compelled to expose…pic.twitter.com/4drg23zWUD
— Rex Chapman🏇🏼 (@RexChapman) June 25, 2020
“I mean (expletive) that guy. You can quote me on that. (Expletive) that guy,” Zaidi told Andy Baggarly in a story published Thursday night.
Arizona Governor Doug Ducey denounced Phillips’ antics of mimicking Floyd’s desperate plea of “I can’t breathe” before dying in Minneapolis at the hands of police officers on May 25. “Despicable doesn’t go far enough,” Ducey said in a Twitter post.
Phillips, who represents the district near the Giants’ spring training home in Scottsdale, apologized a day later, saying in a statement, “It was a stupid and insensitive comment that I shouldn’t have made, and I had no intention of disrespecting anybody.”
The councilman also apologized to Floyd’s family separately, saying “He didn’t deserve what happened to him and I by no means was trying to make light of it by saying I can’t breathe in a mask.”
But Zaidi still couldn’t forgive Phillips’ words.
“I think anyone would have difficulty getting beyond the abhorrent insensitivity of his statement,” Zaidi said. “But even if you can get beyond that — the fact that this guy is condoning behavior that put our staff and players at risk? Like, seriously. (Expletive) that guy. I can’t believe that that guy is a public official in this country. It’s unbelievable.”
The rally where Phillips spoke was organized after Scottsdale Mayor Jim Lane tried to stem the rise of COVID-19 cases by issuing an emergency proclamation on June 18 that requires all residents to wear face coverings in public.
Phillips said the mayor’s mandate wasn’t warranted and would place “undue hardship” on local businesses.
