The Ferguson controversy continues to stir up other controversies, and one of the most curious is taking place in the NFL. Last Sunday, five members of the Saint Louis Rams struck the “Hands Up Don’t Shoot” pose that has become synonymous with the protests over a grand jury decision to not indict Officer Darren Wilson in the shooting of Mike Brown. The St. Louis Police Department was outraged by the act, penning a furious letter that called for the players’ discipline and reminding the NFL 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.”
The whole thing went to another level Tuesday, when St. Louis County Police Chief Jon Belmar announced that Rams chief operating officer Kevin Demoff had called and apologized. The only trouble is, the Rams say there was no such apology and stand by their players’ right to protest. This led to the St. Louis Police airing their grievance on Twitter, in a fashion that—as many Twitter users have noted—does not seem particularly becoming of a group of grown-ups …
