No fines for Rams players' salute
Source: ESPN
The five Rams players who entered the field before Sunday's game against the Oakland Raiders in St. Louis with their hands in the air in "don't shoot" poses will not be fined for their actions, NFL and team sources tell ESPN's Chris Mortensen.
AP Photo/L.G. Patterson
The Rams players who raised their arms during pregame introductions as a salute to nearby Ferguson, Missouri, will not be fined by the league.
The players had used the team's pregame introductions to offer a show of support for nearby Ferguson. As the Rams' offense was introduced, tight end Jared Cook and receivers Kenny Britt, Stedman Bailey, Chris Givens and Tavon Austin stopped near the tunnel and raised their hands in a nod to the fatal shooting of black teenager Michael Brown by Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson on Aug. 9. Some witnesses said Brown had his hands up before being shot. Wilson, who is white, testified to the grand jury that Brown had hit him and reached for his gun.
The St. Louis Police Officers Association called for the players involved to be disciplined and for the Rams and the NFL to deliver a "very public apology," its statement read in part.
"I know that there are those that will say that these players are simply exercising their First Amendment rights," SLPOA business manager Jeff Roorda said in the statement. "Well, I've got news for people who think that way: Cops have First Amendment rights too, and we plan to exercise ours. I'd remind the NFL and their players that it is not the violent thugs burning down buildings that buy their advertiser's products. It's cops and the good people of St. Louis and other NFL towns that do. Somebody needs to throw a flag on this play. If it's not the NFL and the Rams, then it'll be cops and their supporters."
Read more: http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/11963218/the-five-st-louis-rams-players-saluted-slain-teenager-michael-brown-sunday-game-not-fined
samsingh
(17,595 posts)immoderate
(20,885 posts)Cops have First Amendment rights too. But not the License to Kill.
--imm
elleng
(130,893 posts)Fire THAT guy! Throw a flag on HIS 'play!'
Gore1FL
(21,130 posts)It's another ham-handed approach. Had they simply let it go, they'd be much better off.
jillan
(39,451 posts)in the streets.
Righteous assholes!
Omaha Steve
(99,618 posts)The St. Louis Police Officers Association called for the players involved to be disciplined and for the Rams and the NFL to deliver a "very public apology," its statement read in part.
It seems none of the Police never delivered a "very public apology" over things THEY did.
OS
jmowreader
(50,557 posts)"We, the National Football League and its member teams, apologize for the conduct of some of the members of the St. Louis Rams. As a show of good faith, we hereby challenge the Ferguson Police Department to a friendly game of flag football at the Edward Jones Dome the Sunday after the Super Bowl. Certain of our members, including Kam Chancellor, Richard Sherman, Byron Maxwell, Earl Thomas, Tyron Smith, Joe Thomas, Gerald McCoy, Ndamukong Suh, Vince Wilfork, Tommy Kelly and Dominique Easley, are more than willing to give our loyal fans an experience they will never forget. We'll even allow the police to receive first. This offer will be withdrawn if the Ferguson Police Department gets its shit together before the end of the season."
(And yes, I know the NFL's team is eleven of the nastiest defensemen in the league...but on the off chance the Ferguson police manage to survive their first possession, Kam Chancellor DID play quarterback in high school, so we're covered.)
Omaha Steve
(99,618 posts)irisblue
(32,969 posts)proverbialwisdom
(4,959 posts)Maybe if all the players had done it, they wouldn't have had to take out their frustration on the Raiders.
Great. Now the freakin' Lambs have done two cool things in one season (drafting Michael Sam).
uppityperson
(115,677 posts)Demeter
(85,373 posts)because they are getting rather too exercised over the wrong things....
lovemydog
(11,833 posts)by trying to to tie their hucksterism in with police nationwide.
Many decent police men and women are aghast not only by the Brown case and Ferguson, but by this shameless effort to assert that all police share the view of the St. Louis Police Department Shills.
Feral Child
(2,086 posts)graegoyle
(532 posts)FUCK THE POLICE.
pansypoo53219
(20,974 posts)lark
(23,097 posts)Now they want to somehow hurt the people that think that killing black folks is not OK? I really hope those 5 players are very careful and get extra security for their home and themselves. Some lunatic KKK person who has a relative who's a cop, or who is themselves a cop could easily come after those players and their families. These people are so full of hate, I wouldn't put anything past them. They will protect their right to kill anyone at any time without any provocation at all costs. Scary but a very brave gesture by those players in that toxic Mo. environment.
Gothmog
(145,168 posts)DRoseDARs
(6,810 posts)Fixed your headline for you.
mountain grammy
(26,620 posts)I just posted on the Ram's facebook page.
marym625
(17,997 posts)This guy is going to be shitcanned soon. The St Louis Police Officers Association is getting an even worse rap, if that's possible, because of him.
Thanks for the post!
Elmer S. E. Dump
(5,751 posts)"there were mountains of evidence from the Grand Jury" - Oh like the evidence that Wilson was LYING to the Grand Jury, or the fact that the whole thing was rigged by the prosecutor to get Wilson off the hook.
Elmer S. E. Dump
(5,751 posts)OregonBlue
(7,754 posts)If it's not the NFL and the Rams, then it'll be cops and their supporters." You know they should just shut up. Every time they open their mouths we get to see just what thugs they truly are.
dhill926
(16,337 posts)rather obvious use of the dog whistle here.....fuck these shitheads...
"I'd remind the NFL and their players that it is not the violent thugs burning down buildings that buy their advertiser's products"
Jim Lane
(11,175 posts)Nevertheless, I respect the room for diversity of opinion. I also recognize that some players probably agreed with the "Hands up" point of view but didn't want to bring politics into their workplace. Accordingly, I will not support any boycott or any other retaliatory action against the players who sat this one out, nor do I think they should be fined.