As the protests in Ferguson continue, five St. Louis Rams players raised their arms in the "hands up, don't shoot" pose during Sunday's pregame.
Prior to the game against the Oakland Raiders there were talks about relocating the game to Indianapolis due to the violent protests. On Thursday an NFL spokesman announced that the game was to be played in St. Louis as scheduled.
The five players - Stedman Bailey, Tavon Austin, Jared Cook, Chris Givens and Kenny Britt - were condemned by St. Louis police for their behavior on the field, especially after the team's previous concerns about game safety amidst the protests.
St. Louis police released the following statement Sunday evening, which was reported by KSDK.com:
"All week long, the Rams and the NFL were on the phone with the St. Louis Police Department asking for assurances that the players and the fans would be kept safe from the violent protesters who had rioted, looted, and burned buildings in Ferguson. Our officers have been working 12 hour shifts for over a week, they had days off including Thanksgiving cancelled so that they could defend this community from those on the streets that perpetuate this myth that Michael Brown was executed by a brother police officer and then, as the players and their fans sit safely in their dome under the watchful protection of hundreds of St. Louis's finest, they take to the turf to call a now-exonerated officer a murderer, that is way out-of-bounds, to put it in football parlance.
"I know that there are those that will say that these players are simply exercising their First Amendment rights. 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."
During the second half of the game about 75 protesters gathered outside of the stadium chanting "Hands up, don't shoot!", ''No Justice, No Football!", ''This is what Democracy looks like" and "We're here for Mike Brown," reported NBC Sports.
Thirty police officers were watching the protesters from a distance, donning protective riot gear. Inside the stadium there was additional security, which included armed personnel from the National Guard.
A Rams spokesman announced Sunday that the team was unaware the players were planning on doing the pose during the game.
