School bans controversial 'I can't breathe' shirts

Girls from Mendocino High School basketball team are wearing "I can't breathe" T-shirts before a recent game. / AP Photo

A high school has banned student basketball players from wearing “I can’t breathe” shirts the same as NBA players and protesters wore in memory of Eric Garner, an African-American choked to death by a white policeman in New York.

Fort Bragg High School in California banned boys’ and girls’ basketball teams from Mendocino High School from entering a three-day tournament that begins on Dec. 29 after they wore the shirts during a warm-up session on Dec. 16, Associated Press reports.

The school said students could take part in the tournament if they agreed not to wear the shirts. All boys, except one, agreed, but not enough girls accepted the offer.

LeBron James / AP Photo

Fort Bragg High School principal Rebecca Walker was quoted in an online newspaper as saying in a statement released to the Fort Bragg Advocate that the decision was made to “protect the safety and well-being” of all tournament participants.

“We simply feel this issue is too emotionally charged to allow such a demonstration to happen in our tournament and be able to ensure the safety and well-being of all involved,” Walker said.

NBA stars including Kobe Bryant (Los Angeles Lakers) and LeBron James (Cleveland Cavaliers) wore the shirts to protest against the recent acquittal of the NYPD officer, who used a “choke hold” on Garner, a father of six and grandfather of three.