Former NBA player Stephen Jackson, who was lifelong friends with George Floyd, said on TODAY Thursday that he welcomed the news that three more former Minneapolis police officers were charged in Floyd’s death.

“We should’ve been seeing those mugshots,” Jackson told TODAY’s Craig Melvin, adding that he believed that there was a double standard in play.

“Why didn’t we see any public arrests? Why didn’t they have to do that walk of shame like we have to do that walk of shame for traffic tickets or unpaid child support?” Jackson asked.

“They come with a SWAT team and kick our doors down and drag us out the house. We’ve seen a public murder, but we didn’t see a public arrest. I’m not surprised. I want convictions and I’m not gonna be satisfied until they’re buried under the jail.”

The three former officers, Tou Thao, Thomas Lane and J. Alexander Kueng, were charged Wednesday with aiding and abetting murder in Floyd’s death on May 25.

The murder charge against the fourth, Derek Chauvin, who was filmed pressing his knee into Floyd’s neck for nearly 9 minutes as Floyd lay on the ground, was also elevated to second-degree, from third-degree.

All four officers were fired on May 26 after cell phone video showing Floyd’s arrest went viral.

Jackson, a former NBA player, said he believed the national and global protests over Floyd’s death proved there are many people who back the cause for equality.

“If we stand arm to arm, side by side, shoulder to shoulder with every race, we can’t lose and that’s what you’re seeing,” he said. “That’s why you’re seeing all 50 states protesting my brother. That’s why you see all these countries protesting for my brother because everybody wants to love everybody and everybody wants to stand together, and we know what’s right and that’s what we’re fighting for.”

Jackson also called out New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees for his comments Wednesday that he disagreed with anyone “disrespecting” the American flag by kneeling during the national anthem.

“I hope he apologizes,” he said. “Drew Brees is a smart guy and the timing is definitely bad. He has a lot of black teammates. He knows what’s going on. He’s seen my brother get murdered. The world’s seen my brother get murdered. So, to be that naïve, and he’s a smart guy, but to be that naïve and act like you don’t know why (Colin) Kaepernick was kneeling, it just baffles me.”

Brees issued an apology for his remarks Thursday morning on Instagram.

Jackson also addressed the moment Floyd’s young daughter Gianna remarked, “Daddy changed the world,” while they were walking in Minneapolis earlier this week, a moment that went viral across social media.

“I didn’t teach her that,” he told TODAY, adding that the moment came after the 6-year-old saw pictures of her dad everywhere while he carried her on his shoulders amid the demonstrations.

“And she’s like, ‘My daddy’s everywhere.’ I said, ‘Yeah, your daddy changed the world.’ And she just screamed it. ‘My daddy changed the world.’ And it’s a blessing, because it is going to change the world,” he said.

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DeAndre Baker is still in Florida, training every day in the hopes that he’ll soon be able to rejoin the Giants.

The Giants, though, have still not welcomed him back. 

And it’s not clear when — or if — they will.

Though the 22-year-old cornerback is out on bail after being arrested in connection with an armed robbery last month, and is even free to travel to New Jersey, his status with the Giants remains unchanged, according to a source familiar with the team’s thinking. Baker was told to stay away from team meetings back on May 17 so he could “focus on his legal issues,” the source said, and he’s still not allowed to participate in any of their video meetings.

When and if that changes probably depends on what the prosecutors in Broward County, Fla. do next, according to Baker’s attorney, Patrick G. Patel. Baker was charged with four counts of armed robbery and four counts of aggravated assault stemming from an incident at a party in Miramar, Fla. on May 13. Patel previously told SNY the case against his client was “complete garbage” and that Baker was the victim of a “shakedown”.

In an interview with SNY on Wednesday, Patel reiterated his position and said he still expects the charges against Baker to be dropped – possibly by the end of this week.

“As soon this dismissal goes (through), he’s going to head back to Jersey and start practicing,” Patel told SNY. “If it becomes a charge, then the NFL will suspend him. So the Giants are really just playing it cool right now, which is the right thing to do. Just do nothing until the state makes a decision on what they’re going to do.”

Video: FNNY: Breaking down Baker, what to do with DeAndre?

Patel said the “general timeline” for prosecutors to make a decision is 30 days from when Baker turned himself in, which was on May 16. That gives them another 12 days to decide whether or not to proceed with the criminal case. Patel, though, said he expects the decision will come in the next few days. And he’s hopeful it will all be resolved before the NFL has to act.

“I think we’ve got the case won, to be honest with you. I think it’s only a matter of time,” Patel said. “But it’s the kid’s life. This kid will get suspended and lose his job, and then the case gets dismissed and what have we done? So everybody’s taking a wait and see approach.”

That does seem to be the approach the Giants are taking, keeping Baker away even though he’s free on $200,000 bail and a judge approved a motion that would allow him to return to New Jersey for work. The Giants, of course, are conducting their offseason virtually like every other team in the NFL, and it’s unlikely they will hold any in-person activities for players until training camp begins this summer. They are tentatively scheduled to open camp on July 29, though that obviously could be delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Patel believes that Baker’s case will be long over by then. He again told SNY that witnesses who identified Baker as the perpetrator of a crime have since recanted their statements to police. And he said he has evidence that Baker was logged in and playing the Madden NFL Football video game at the time the alleged crime and even the gambling that led to it took place.

Even if charges are dropped, the NFL could still punish Baker for violating the NFL’s Personal Conduct Policy – and they are investigating the incident that led to his arrest, according to a source. Regardless, Patel again said he believes Baker – who had attitude and work-ethic issues with the Giants last season – has been “scared straight” by this whole experience.

“Hopefully it’s a wake-up call for the young kid,” Patel said. “That’s what he needed. He wasn’t a first-round draft choice as a player last year, you know?”