Charles Barkley George Zimmerman Not Guilty Verdict: Trayvon Martin Was Profiled; Jury Was Right [VIDEO]
Charles Barkley, former NBA player and current TNT Analyst, is the latest celebrity to weigh in on the George Zimmerman not guilty verdict, saying that he agrees with the jury's decision in the murder trial, but disagrees how the media handled racism in the case.
Barkley was on CNBC's Closing Bell on Thursday, and spoke with Maria Baritromo about the case. He said that he felt sorry for Trayvon Martin, the 17-year-old teenager that was shot and killed on Feb. 26 in Sanford, Fl, but said the jury didn't have enough evidence to convict Zimmerman of murder.
"I agree with the verdict," he said. "Something clearly went wrong that night. Clearly something went wrong, and I feel bad for anybody who loses a kid. But if you looked at the case and you don't make it - there was some racial profiling, no question about it. But something happened that changed the dynamic of that night."
Barkley went on to bash the media, which he says does not have a "pure heart" on the issue of race.
"Racism is wrong in any, shape, form. There are a lot of black people who are racist too. I think sometimes when people talk about racism they act like only white people are racist. There are a lot of black people who are racist," he said.
He added that he watched the trial closely from day one and added that people have a hidden agenda.
"The bias, it definitely comes out. It was a bad situation. We all lost. And I feel bad for his parents. You don't ever want to see anybody lose a kid,"
Barkley, originally of Alabama, retired from basketball after the 1999-2000 NBA seaso. He began a successful career as a basketball analyst for Turner Network Television.
"Mr. Zimmerman was wrong to pursue, he was racial profiling, but I think Trayvon Martin - God rest his soul - I think he did flip the switch and started beating the hell out of Mr. Zimmerman. But it was just a bad situation," he said.
