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Former Braves star Dale Murphy's son shot in eye during Colorado protests
Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

Former Braves star Dale Murphy's son shot in eye during Colorado protests

Atlanta Braves legend Dale Murphy claims his son nearly lost his eye during protests in Colorado after being shot with a rubber bullet, TMZ reports.

Murphy says his son was peacefully protesting George Floyd's death when police opened fire. His son was rushed to the hospital and fortunately avoided serious injuries.

"Luckily, his eye was saved due to a kind stranger that was handing out goggles to protestors shortly before the shooting and another kind stranger that drove him to the ER," Murphy said via TMZ.

The seven-time All-Star continued on to say other protesters suffered more serious, "permanent" injuries as a result of the cops' actions. Murphy now is pleading for change and is asking people to not only take a stand, but to donate to Black Lives Matter charities across the country.

"As terrible as this experience has been, we know that it's practically nothing compared to the systemic racism and violence against Black life that he was protesting in the first place," Murphy said.

"Black communities across America have been terrorized for centuries by excessive police force."

Murphy isn't the only former or current athlete taking a stand against police brutality and racism. NBA legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar released a powerful op-ed in the Los Angeles Times in which he says "racism is more deadly than COVID-19." Boston Celtics star Jaylen Brown drove 15 hours from Boston to Atlanta to lead peaceful protests alongside Indiana Pacers guard Malcolm Brogdon and the San Francisco 49ers donated $1 million to "groups creating change." 

Floyd, an African American man, died Monday after being restrained by police for alleged forgery. An officer put pressure on Floyd's neck with his knee as he laid on the ground fighting for his life. A witness's video surfaced showing Floyd begging for his life and even telling the officer he couldn't breathe, but the cop didn't move. 

He was later pronounced dead at the hospital.

The officer who knelt on Floyd's neck, Derek Chauvin, was arrested Friday and charged with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.

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