Orlando Magic coach Steve Clifford said he first and foremost felt relieved after a jury on Tuesday found former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin guilty of murder and manslaughter for the 2020 death of George Floyd.
Clifford said he watched as much of the trial as he could, and initially felt like the evidence — specifically a cellphone video of Floyd’s death and testimony from the Minneapolis police chief — was overwhelmingly against Chauvin, who held his knee on Floyd’s neck for 9½ minutes on May 25, 2020. But after watching and listening to legal experts discuss the case, Clifford said he grew more skeptical about a conviction.