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Our only agenda is to publish the truth so you can be an informed participant in democracy. We need your help. More Info ### I would like to contribute One Time Monthly Yearly Join Now # Did George Floyd say he ‘ate too many drugs,’ as Derek Chauvin\'s defense claimed? * Criminal Justice * Crime * Race and Ethnicity ![\\"The](\\" The Hennepin County Government Center is seen during the Derek Chauvin trial on April 1, 2021, in Minneapolis. (AP/Tuite) ![\\"Bill](\\" By Bill McCarthy April 8, 2021 #### If Your Time is short * It’s difficult to make out George Floyd’s words in a short clip of his arrest that Derek Chauvin’s defense attorney played in court during Chauvin’s murder trial. * One witness initially agreed with the defense that Floyd appeared to say, “I ate too many drugs.” But after the prosecution showed a longer clip, the same witness amended his statement and said, “I believe Mr. Floyd was saying, ‘I ain’t do no drugs.’” The legal defense for Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer on trial for murder in the death of George Floyd, tried unsuccessfully to get two witnesses to testify that Floyd said he \"ate too many drugs\" as he was pinned under Chauvin’s knee. Defense attorney Eric Nelson did not come away with the answer he sought during the eighth day of Chauvin’s trial. But the brief clip he played in court fueled unproven claims that Floyd died from an overdose, despite two autopsy reports that ruled his death a homicide. \"Wow. Chauvin’s lawyer just played a short excerpt of George Floyd — while being held on the ground — screaming out, ‘Ahhh! I ate too many drugs!’\" said one April 7 Instagram post, which showed a screenshot of a widespread tweet. \"This trial shouldn’t be happening.\" The post was flagged as part of Facebook’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Facebook.) The post is missing important context, as what Floyd said in the clip Nelson played in court was disputed during the trial. One witness said that he couldn’t make Floyd’s words out. The second witness said at first that Floyd appeared to say, \"I ate too many drugs.\" But under questioning from the prosecution, the same witness later said he believed Floyd was saying, \"I ain’t take no drugs.\" Here’s what happened, in context. The first witness Nelson asked about Floyd’s comments was Sgt. Jody Stiger of the Los Angeles Police Department, a use-of-force expert. Nelson played for Stiger a four-second clip pulled from body camera footage. The clip showed Floyd speaking as Chauvin restrained him. What Floyd said in the short clip is not completely clear. His face is not visible, and other voices are heard speaking at the same time. The rest of the exchange between Nelson and Stiger went like this: Nelson: \"Did you hear what he said?\" Stiger: \"No. I couldn’t make it out.\" Nelson: \"Does it sound like he says, ‘I ate too many drugs’? Listen again.\" Stiger: \"I can’t make that out, no.\" Later in the trial, Nelson posed a similar line of questioning to witness James Reyerson, a senior special agent with the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension. Nelson started by asking Reyerson if he had ever heard Floyd say he ate too many drugs while reviewing footage of Floyd’s arrest from body cameras. Reyerson responded that he had not. Then, Nelson played the same four-second clip for Reyerson. Their exchange went like this: Nelson: \"Did it appear that Mr. Floyd said, ‘I ate too many drugs’?\" Reyerson: \"Yes. It did.\" But Reyerson ultimately amended his statement under questioning from prosecutor Matthew Frank. In answers to a series of questions, Reyerson said that his response to Nelson was the first time he had been asked to assess what Floyd said in the four-second clip. Frank later played a roughly 40-second clip from body camera footage that he said showed Floyd’s remarks in the context of what the officers were saying. Reyerson testified that prior to what was shown in the shorter clip Nelson played, the officers had been discussing drug use. After the longer video finished playing, Reyerson had the following exchange with Frank: Frank: \"Having heard it in context, are you able to tell what Mr. Floyd is saying there?\" Reyerson: \"Yes. I believe Mr. Floyd was saying, ‘I ain’t do no drugs.’\" Frank: \"So that’s a little different than what you were asked about when you only saw a portion of the video, correct?\" Reyerson: \"Yes, sir.\" Floyd’s drug use has become a fixture of the defense’s case to clear Chauvin of the murder and manslaughter charges against him. Two autopsy reports conducted after Floyd’s death found different causes of death, but both of them ruled the manner of his death a homicide. The Hennepin County medical examiner’s autopsy report found higher-than-normal levels of fentanyl in Floyd’s system, but it said his death was caused by \"cardiopulmonary arrest complicating law-enforcement subdual restraint, and neck compression.\" Sign Up For Our Weekly Newsletter ### Our Sources Instagram post, April 7, 2021 The Associated Press, \"EXPLAINER: Did Floyd really yell, \'I ate too many drugs?\" April 8, 2021 The New York Times, \"At Chauvin Trial, Debating What George Floyd Said About Drugs,\" April 7, 2021 The Hill, \"Chauvin defense attorney claims Floyd said \'I ate too many drugs\' in arrest audio,\" April 7, 2021 C-Span, \"Derek Chauvin Trial for the Death of George Floyd, Day 8,\" April 7, 2021 ABC News on YouTube, \"Watch LIVE: Derek Chauvin Trial for George Floyd Death - Day 8 | ABC News Live Coverage| ABC News,\" April 7, 2021 ## Browse the Truth-O-Meter ### More by Bill McCarthy slide 4 to 6 of 15 ![](\\" ![](\\" Greg Gutfeld stated on June 23, 2022 in a TV segment: No one “with a concealed carry permit ever committed a mass shooting.\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Bill McCarthy • June 28, 2022 ![](\\" Instagram_logo_2016.svg/322c808c00e73c217d17772ddd5a0eb5.jpg\\") ![](\\" Instagram_logo_2016.svg/8b142c91ebe468a84a192e6df2b7b994.jpg\\") Instagram posts stated on June 20, 2022 in an Instagram post: “Gas in Canada is $9.00 a gallon.” ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Bill McCarthy • June 22, 2022 ![](\\" Instagram_logo_2016.svg/322c808c00e73c217d17772ddd5a0eb5.jpg\\") ![](\\" Instagram_logo_2016.svg/8b142c91ebe468a84a192e6df2b7b994.jpg\\") Instagram posts stated on June 20, 2022 in an Instagram post: A compilation of images shows what Joe Biden has “done to our country.” ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Bill McCarthy • June 21, 2022 ![](\\" ![](\\" TikTok posts stated on July 19, 2022 in a TikTok post: An image shows Rep. 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Marjorie Taylor Greene in front of a cross with a figurine of former President Donald Trump on it. ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Bill McCarthy • July 21, 2022 ![](\\" Instagram_logo_2016.svg/322c808c00e73c217d17772ddd5a0eb5.jpg\\") ![](\\" Instagram_logo_2016.svg/8b142c91ebe468a84a192e6df2b7b994.jpg\\") Instagram posts stated on July 19, 2022 in an Instagram post: Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez was “faking being arrested” during an abortion- rights protest outside the Supreme Court. ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Bill McCarthy • July 20, 2022 ![](\\" ![](\\" Facebook posts stated on July 15, 2022 in a Facebook post: \"Antifa was already inside the Capitol with floor plans dressed as Trump supporters\" on Jan. 6, 2021, proving the attack “was 100% a setup.\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Bill McCarthy • July 19, 2022 ### Did George Floyd say he ‘ate too many drugs,’ as Derek Chauvin\'s defense claimed? * ![](\\" ![](\\" Facebook posts stated on September 8, 2024 in a social media post: Photos that show lists of school names are “school shooting lists.” ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Andy Nguyen • September 15, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" Instagram posts stated on September 12, 2024 in an Instagram post: A video shows a body that Israel embedded with a bomb exploding during a Palestinian funeral procession. ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Sofia Ahmed • September 13, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" Facebook posts stated on September 11, 2024 in a post: “ESPN has fired Shannon Sharpe.” ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Gideon Hess • September 13, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" Threads posts stated on September 12, 2024 in a post on Threads: An image shows Travis Kelce responding to Elon Musk X post that followed Taylor Swift’s endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris. ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Madison Czopek • September 13, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" Instagram posts stated on September 12, 2024 in an Instagram post: Former President Donald Trump admitted during the Sept. 10 presidential debate that he “blew up the Nord Stream pipeline.” ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" pants-fire.jpg\\") By Loreben Tuquero • September 13, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" Facebook posts stated on September 10, 2024 in a Facebook post: Patron, Don Julio and Pink Whitney tequila recalled because they contained fecal matter. ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Jeff Cercone • September 13, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" Elissa Slotkin stated on September 11, 2024 in a TV ad: Mike Rogers supported “laws that could eliminate IVF and birth control.” ![\\"half-true\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"half-true\\"](\\" true.jpg\\") By Caleb McCullough • September 13, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" Instagram posts stated on September 11, 2024 in an Instagram post: \"Debate moderators made the false claim to Donald Trump that there is nowhere in the United States where abortion is legal up until birth.\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Jeff Cercone • September 13, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" Facebook posts stated on September 12, 2024 in a Facebook post: ABC News fired presidential debate moderators David Muir and Linsey Davis. ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" pants-fire.jpg\\") By Sofia Ahmed • September 13, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" Yes on 4 stated on September 10, 2024 in a TV ad: Florida’s six-week abortion law has “no real exceptions. Not for her health. Not even for rape.” ![\\"barely-true\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"barely-true\\"](\\" barely-true.jpg\\") By Samantha Putterman • September 13, 2024 Load more #### Offices District of Columbia 1800 I Street NW Washington, DC 20006 Florida 801 3rd St. S St. Petersburg, FL 33701 727-821-9494 #### People * Joe Biden * Kamala Harris * Donald Trump * Mitch McConnell * Hakeem Jeffries * Ron DeSantis #### State Editions * California * Florida * Iowa * Michigan * New Hampshire * New York * North Carolina * Pennsylvania * Texas * West Virginia * Wisconsin #### About Us * Our Process * Our Staff * En Español * Who pays for PolitiFact? * Advertise with Us * Corrections and Updates * Newsletters #### RSS Feeds * Recent Articles and Fact-checks * Recent Fact-checks Suggest a Fact-check #### Follow us The Facts Newsletter Sign up Terms & Conditions Privacy Policy Copyright ©All Rights Reserved Poynter Institute 2020, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization ![\\"\\"](\\" ✕ * * *
Chauvin’s lawyer just played a short excerpt of George Floyd while being held on the ground screaming out Ahhh I ate too many drugs’