In another case of “driving while Black,” San Francisco 49ers star Brandon Aiyuk found himself pulled over by the police. Aiyuk, who had a rough season last year after tearing his ACL, had just bought a $90,000 Jeep Trackhawk when California State police stopped him in San Jose. The cops thought he had stolen the car, but given Aiyuk’s four-year, $120 million contract with the Niners, it’s highly unlikely he was driving a stolen vehicle.
Unfortunately, this seems to be another example of racial profiling. Even as a successful NFL player, Aiyuk is still not immune to being treated like this just because of the color of his skin.
After the encounter, the former Arizona State star shared a YouTube vlog to talk about what happened.
Aiyuk explained that he’d only driven two miles before getting pulled over. “Brand new Trackhawk. Bro, I got the Trackhawk at 53 miles. I got pulled over at 55 miles. I’m waiting all day to get this off the truck… You know I’m about to spin. I’m about to hear the engine,” he said.
The police claimed that the Trackhawk was a popular target for theft, which is why they stop drivers of that vehicle. “You see how that looks on our end?” one officer said. “You’re rolling around in brand-new Dodges, which are commonly stolen… I don’t watch football. I didn’t say you are, I’m saying that’s what it looks like.”
Aiyuk wasn’t having it. “Nothing says that they’re stolen. Nothing says that I’m stealing cars,” he fired back.
Before the stop ended, Aiyuk lightened the mood by joking with the officer: “You want me to pop the hood, too? You want to see what’s under the hood?” As he drove off, he revved the engine and asked the officer, “You try to hear it?” The officer replied, “Hell, yeah! Go for it.”
No matter how the officer tried to explain himself, this situation still reeks of racial profiling. Aiyuk is Black, driving an expensive car, and that’s apparently enough to get him stopped.
