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Braves Pitcher Touki Toussaint Speaks Out About Ongoing George Floyd Protests

By Jerry Trotta

Atlanta Braves pitcher Touki Toussaint posted a moving Instagram about the George Floyd protests
Atlanta Braves pitcher Touki Toussaint posted a moving Instagram about the George Floyd protests /

Baseball fans received huge news on Monday evening when ESPN insider Jeff Passan reported that club owners are now willing to pay players prorated salaries, making the outlook for the 2020 season more feasible than ever.

However, there are far more pressing issues that MLB's athletes are preoccupied with right now. Following the Toronto Blue Jays' inspiring lead, Atlanta Braves right-hander Touki Toussaint spoke out against the growing George Floyd protests. The 23-year-old stud posted a moving Instagram on Monday that contained a powerful caption.

View this post on Instagram

I am ANGRY. I am SAD. I am TIRED. Seeing a 5 year old yesterday wear a shirt say “please don’t shoot me” broke my soul in half. He shouldn’t have to wear that shirt. He shouldn’t have to be worrying about any of that. This is the world we live in!? I am BLACK. I have been racially profiled. I have been told “I can’t date you because my family doesn’t like blacks.” I have sat in hand cuffs because a cop felt threatened because he saw two black kids in a nice car. I have been told I am NOT black because I speak proper. I WILL not sit quiet knowing my platform. I WILL stand with the people who fight day in and day out to stop racism. I WILL have these difficult conversations with my WHITE BROTHERS. I WILL do everything in my power to explain and make them understand what it is to be BLACK in AMERICA. This has to stop. ENOUGH is ENOUGH. My brothers and sisters we HAVE to do better. STOP looking at the color in a man/woman and see him for who he/she is. This all starts with us. YES, the system is unjust but the system is also your brother that’s sitting next to you that can make that change for your children and generations to come. I encourage you all to go out there and stand with the people. March with them. Feel for them. We are hurting. WE ARE THE CHANGE.

A post shared by Touki Toussaint (@touki) on

"STOP looking at the color in a man/woman and see him for who he/she is," read a portion of Toussaint's caption. "This all starts with us. YES, the system is unjust but the system is also your brother that's sitting next to you that can make that change for your children and generations to come. I encourage you all to go out there and stand with the people."

Toussaint is clearly angry and saddened right now following the death of Floyd. That much was made clear in his Instagram post.

Toussaint has made his voice heard. He's surely not the only MLB player who will speak out about what's going on in the United States.