On Sunday, five St. Louis Rams players entered the game doing the “hands up, don’t shoot” gesture that has been used by Ferguson protesters.
The incredibly short, peaceful demonstration that lasted all of… a pre-game introduction caused a bit of a media firestorm.
The St. Louis Police Officers Association demanded an apology from the Rams for their players’ actions, calling the act of raising one’s hands in the air “tasteless, offensive and inflammatory.”
Then things got a little juvenille.
The NFL and the Rams refused to apologize or discipline the players but not before the SLPOA claimed that a Rams official did apologize. The Rams then had to clarify that they really issued one of those “sorry, not sorry” apologies. The St. Louis police then tweeted out the definition of the word apology as a “trump card” in the war of words over a gesture.
Apology: "expression of regret for not being able to do something"
@kdemoff: "I regretted any offense their officers may have taken."
— St. Louis County PD (@stlcountypd) December 2, 2014
If this all sounds a bit outlandish to you, you aren’t alone. Jon Stewart had his take on the Daily Show and he perfectly summed up everything ridiculous about this entire “controversy” surrounding five Rams players’ silent protest.
“So the St. Louis police association is angry and outraged to be caught in this hail of gestures and feels that the community won’t get past this tragic pantomime unless someone is held accountable.”
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