St. Louis, Mo. - The NFL announced Monday that five St. Louis Rams will not suffer any fines or punishments for their display of protest of the situation in Ferguson, Missouri.
During pre-game introductions Sunday, Tavon Austin, Kenny Britt, Stedman Bailey, Chris Givens, and Jared Cook stood side-by-side and held their hands in the air for several seconds.
It is an action that has recently come to symbolize the "Hands Up, Don't Shoot" protest many are expressing following a grand jury verdict in the St. Louis suburb that neglected to indict police officer Darren Wilson.
Wilson shot and killed teenager Michael Brown after a skirmish broke out between the two in August.
The verdict has driven many to public riots and some looting in the streets of Ferguson that has resulted in destruction of property and great unrest.
The union of St. Louis police officers expressed offense at the protest from the five players, citing a tasteless attitude towards law enforcement.
"The St. Louis Police Officers Association is profoundly disappointed with the members of the St. Louis Rams football team who chose to ignore the mountains of evidence released from the St. Louis County Grand Jury this week and engage in a display that police officers around the nation found tasteless, offensive, and inflammatory," the SLPOA said in a statement.
Brian McCarthy, the NFL's vice president of communications responded in an official statement, reading:
"We respect and understand the concerns of all individuals who have expressed views on this tragic situation."
No comments:
Post a Comment