Ron Johnson, senior executive and global head of consumer products at Riot Games, is currently under investigation by the company for a controversial image shared on Facebook regarding George Floyd‘s tragic death, according to Vice.
While Johnson provides commentary by condemning former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin’s excessive use of force, the Facebook post in question features an image with text that minimizes the death of George Floyd by calling into question his character. Further, the post criticizes “the media and the left” for turning Floyd into a “martyr.”
The post then reportedly continues to downplay the incident by listing Floyd’s criminal record, which includes a robbery charge, as well as a few drug charges.
Johnson is currently under investigation by Riot Games for the post. Riot Games told Vice that Johnson’s post is “abhorrent, against our values, and directly counter to our belief that addressing systemic racism requires immediate societal change.”
Johnson is now on leave and awaiting the results of the investigation.
Riot Games didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment from Digital Trends. We’ll update this story when we hear back.
The death of George Floyd has sparked and mobilized a number of movements from protesters and social justice groups across the country. A variety of games companies — including developers like Bungie, Rockstar Games, and Naughty Dog, as well as publishers like EA, Sony, and Microsoft — have also taken steps to pay respects to George Floyd and support anti-racist initiatives.
