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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsNFL to St Louis Police: No we won't discipline the Rams players
The NFL will not adhere to a request from the St. Louis Police Officers Association to discipline St. Louis Rams players who did the hands up, dont shoot pose used by protesters in Ferguson, Mo. during pre-game introductions on Sunday.
We respect and understand the concerns of all individuals who have expressed views on this tragic situation, NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said in a statement to USA TODAY Sports.
The police officers association issued a letter late Sunday condemning the players actions as tasteless, offensive and inflammatory given a grand jurys decision not to indict Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson in the fatal shooting of black teenager Michael Brown.
Five Rams players raised their hands as they walked out of the tunnel onto the field at the Edwards Jones Dome before Sundays game against the Oakland Raiders.
<snip>
Tight end Jared Cook said he and his teammates wanted to show solidarity with protesters, because they had not been able to physically join them since the grand jurys announcement was made last week. Cook said his family members went to Ferguson last week and reported back to him what they saw.
<snip>
http://ftw.usatoday.com/2014/12/nfl-rams-ferguson-protest
NoJusticeNoPeace
(5,018 posts)"you will god damn respect us, not question us, never show the slightest disrespect"
We must use our brains folks and realize we have a HUGE police problem.
HUGE
Initech
(99,915 posts)left_of_center
(87 posts)olegramps
(8,200 posts)Perfectly describes todays police treatment of citizens. Add, "disrespectful, bully", and a host of derogatory terms. They were looking in the mirror when they wrote that crap.
BadgerKid
(4,541 posts)KingCharlemagne
(7,908 posts)(Click on Communication tab to get email addresses for those who handle the media.)
napkinz
(17,199 posts)calimary
(80,700 posts)Not exactly a fan of the NFL. If that hyper-violent, obscenely greedy, and misogynist outfit were disbanded tomorrow I wouldn't shed a single tear. I'm actually surprised they did the right thing here. I can so rarely make such a statement about the NFL - and mean it sincerely.
Ykcutnek
(1,305 posts)cali
(114,904 posts)Inkfreak
(1,695 posts)Who couldn't be bothered posting one thing about Ray Rice. Now I generally give a shit what people post, it's not worth getting in a tizzy about. I just found it interesting that they are sooo appalled. Good on the NFL.
Dawson Leery
(19,348 posts)as those in third world countries. Armenia, Georgia, Azerbaijan, and Kazakhstan allow their police to censor those whom they disagree with as well as they are allowed to directly place legal proposals into the legislature without the consent of the committees for votes.
L0oniX
(31,493 posts)damnedifIknow
(3,183 posts)Just excellent.
Mr.Bill
(24,104 posts)But I remember years ago when a player's strike was looming and the players from opposing teams wanted to meet on the center of the field before the game and shake hands in a show of union solidarity, the NFL forbade them from doing it and threatened fines.
TeamPooka
(24,156 posts)pangaia
(24,324 posts)TeamPooka
(24,156 posts)logosoco
(3,208 posts)uponit7771
(90,225 posts)geek tragedy
(68,868 posts)hifiguy
(33,688 posts)and good for the NFL. The NFL seldom does the right thing, but they certainly did so in this case.
JohnnyRingo
(18,581 posts)Nothing to gain by admonishing the players. Besides, I believe the players offered their silent protest with much dignity and class.
No one is going to miss a single football game because the players went unpunished, regardless of what a few idiot armchair coaches may have said in their fits of racist anger.
99th_Monkey
(19,326 posts)They cannot even endure something like a few innocuous "hands-up, don't shoot" gestures without
immediately calling a Waambulance.
Un-fuking-beleivable. If they had just let it go by, without comment or whining, way fewer people
would even be aware of it ... by their whining, they actually are keeping the story alive for a few
more news cycles.
uppityperson
(115,674 posts)aint_no_life_nowhere
(21,925 posts)and swear never to turn their backs to known criminal conduct on the part of their fellow cops and to immediately report known murderers and criminals in their midst. I believe that most cops conduct themselves with honor and a desire to serve the law, except when it comes to closing their ranks to hide the criminals among them. The fact that Wilson's initial statement at the station house was neither recorded with a tape recorder or even written down by the investigating officer could very well be a part of this kind of cover-up and I wouldn't put it past them. I'm glad the authoritarians couldn't get the NFL to comply.
mountain grammy
(26,571 posts)Good cops have got to start speaking up and speaking out.
joeybee12
(56,177 posts)I wish more than five had done it.
lark
(23,003 posts)but killing innocent unarmed black kids is totally OK and is just doing their job. What a disgusting lot those Ferguson/St. Louis/Mo. cops and their KKK supporters are.
SomethingFishy
(4,876 posts)their automatic weapons, and their military hardware and head out to the streets. They should be congratulated and thanked for the fine job they are doing. While the Rams players should be punished, for putting their hands in the air.
I give up.
mountain grammy
(26,571 posts)and will find a way to tell them. They represent me!
Historic NY
(37,449 posts)if they're so aggrieved, then perhaps the Rams could get other police agencies hired on for game security.
customerserviceguy
(25,183 posts)Not sure if I'm absolutely right about this, but I had the impression that police were paid overtime wages by the NFL to show up at games and provide security. Of course, most of them like the opportunity to make extra money and the prestige of being at a game, but if there's a "blue flu" of St. Louis police officers turning down overtime for the next Rams home game, they might have to raid the malls for Paul Blarts.
It will be interesting to see what happens when lightly-trained rent-a-cops meet drunken fans in the stands.
Historic NY
(37,449 posts)yonder
(9,631 posts)...that's not a real gun, is it, Clark?" "...it can't even leave a mark, can it?"
-Lasky
ieoeja
(9,748 posts)It isn't cops. It isn't orderlies and nurses. It sure as fuck isn't a doctor.
It's a rent-a-cop. And it's not a rent-a-cop with any more training than your local mall's rent-a-cop.
I'm a little guy who has dealt with a lot of drunks over the years. As a rule, the last thing you want to do is get physical. Most "rowdy" drunks need "protected", not "handled".
Cops actually make piss poor security because they can't seem to get either of those ideas through their thick skulls. Far too many of them get their panties in a bunch about some drunk not respecting their authority. What part about "drunk", do they not understand? Cops working security often cause more problems than they prevent.
In the worst case scenario, yes, they're the best at it. But the worst case scenario is extremely rare. While the rowdy drunk is an every day thing. I will take rent-a-cop security over police security at football games any day.
customerserviceguy
(25,183 posts)Thanks for the insight from your perspective.
Still, it wouldn't surprise me if the next St. Louis home game gets "blue flu". Maybe it won't be the disaster I envisioned above, and that would sure be good for the folks attending the game.
BanzaiBonnie
(3,621 posts)If they have to take it personally, then there must be some reason. Why do they want to keep protecting and using their shield to cover for bad apples?
And I'm so happy to see this issue pop into our national consciousness.
cstanleytech
(26,082 posts)Say along the lines of "To any decent and honest police officers we sincerely apologize, to the ones who arent decent and honest go piss up a rope!!"
TheKentuckian
(24,949 posts)Enthusiast
(50,983 posts)randr
(12,408 posts)the St. Louis Police Officers Association not to mention disciplinary action for killing unarmed citizens.
Dont call me Shirley
(10,998 posts)P.S. Just sent an email to NFL in support of those brave players.
RationalMan
(96 posts)I appreciate that the majority of police in this country are not like Darren Wilson but........
The members of the Rams have a constitutional right to express themselves without any need to apologize to anyone. The NFL has an opportunity, based on their rules and contracts, to restrict those rights in the context of an NFL event. It appears the NFL is not likely to do so.
The police have created an issue when there was none. They appear to be intolerant and their standing in the public eye is diminished.
MoonRiver
(36,926 posts)And I hardly ever watch football .
Bluzmann57
(12,336 posts)And are undoubtedly smart enough to realize that they could be targets without their uniforms on. I mean think about it, an African American who has some money, probably drives a nice car, lives in a nice house, and likely has nice clothing. They must be criminals to have all that. Right? So let's pull 'em over and if they even look like they are moving, shoot 'em! At least that's the way the cops are thinking.
TNNurse
(6,911 posts)lordsummerisle
(4,649 posts)whathehell
(28,969 posts)harun
(11,348 posts)It is one thing to come out and stay they strongly disagree for any number of reasons, but to demand anything is going in the wrong direction.
They should be de-escalating every opportunity they get, not starting to look for new fights.
The Wizard
(12,482 posts)and their law enforcement handmaidens are professional victims. Their immediate responses are feigned outrage, knickers in a wad, the vapors and searching for the fainting couch.
cui bono
(19,926 posts)Even if the grand jury didn't indict, there is still a problem with police killings of brown people.
Assholes.
ashling
(25,771 posts)"will not adhere to a request..."?
you can ignore a request
you can comply or not comply with a request
but "adhere" to a request? That's an awkward wording.
Faryn Balyncd
(5,125 posts)This is not language of an unbiased journalist. It is the willful abuse of language designed to paint the NFL in an unfavorable light.
The propagandist masquerading as a journalist should be fired if USAToday wants to be a legitimate news organization rather than a conduit for RW memes.
Propaganda is most effective when the points to be made are not argued as propositions, but are hidden in the framing & the semantics.
ashling
(25,771 posts)I am pretty sure that it is an incorrect use of that word.
BillZBubb
(10,650 posts)A good portion of the NFL workforce is no doubt sympathetic to the people of Ferguson. Punish those guys and things could spin out of control, maybe as far as a league wide work stoppage.
Letting it be means it probably ends in St. Louis.
RedCloud
(9,230 posts)They know who butters their bread but I bet privately they don't think what they say.
americannightmare
(322 posts)stand up and support the Ferguson protests.
imthevicar
(811 posts)dballance
(5,756 posts)cwydro
(51,308 posts)I sure hope not, but my cynicism leads me to believe the NFL is trying to have it both ways.
navarth
(5,927 posts)Damn betcha. Rams showed class there. Then went out and scored 52 points. Kharma.
mrdmk
(2,943 posts)Here is an example of people not letting people be human.
The authoritarian types feel it is their place to set the rules and have everyone else obey no matter the circumstances.
It is the authoritarians who are out of control. Of course, it is in their nature not to get it...
librechik
(30,663 posts)Their comment makes them look far worse than mere silence would have.