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Rams' Cook Defends "Hands Up" Gesture, Says Players' Message Was Misconstrued

Rams TE Jared Cook, one of five players on the team to enter the field for Sunday's game with their arms raised in the "Hands Up, Don't Shoot" gesture, yesterday said he believes their message "got mixed up a little bit," according to Nancy Armour of USA TODAY. Cook said, "It's not just about Ferguson. It's a message worldwide for young adults, and for everybody, that you can protest and do things peacefully without getting out of line." He added, "Just because you put on a uniform every day and just because you put on a helmet doesn't mean you're lost to the world. ... It was a perfect example of a peaceful protest. If anything should have been said about it by anybody, it should have been an example of a way to peacefully protest and peacefully get your point across without tearing up the neighborhood." Armour notes the St. Louis Police Officers Association this week "complained that the players' gesture was 'tasteless, offensive and inflammatory,'" while some fans "have threatened to cancel their season tickets." Cook said of the backlash, "Why would you turn something so beautiful and turn something that's so positive into something negative? I don't get it. I don't understand" (USA TODAY, 12/4). Cook yesterday indicated that he and Rams WRs Stedman Bailey, Tavon Austin, Chris Givens and Kenny Britt "could have done things differently but they don't apologize for it because of the way it was intended." ESPN.com's Nick Wagoner noted the players "attempted to make it clear that they did not make the gesture in support of the violence taking place" in Ferguson. However, Cook "believes the message was lost in translation considering what has happened since." He said, "We really didn't think it was going to be as big as it's being portrayed. It's something that we wanted to do for the people in Ferguson and around the world that are protesting peacefully and doing things in the community right to help bring Ferguson back and the communities around the world to help raise awareness and help build their communities up" (ESPN.com, 12/3).

ENCORE PERFORMANCE? In St. Louis, Jim Thomas reports Rams coach Jeff Fisher "met with the five players as a group Wednesday morning." Cook said that the meeting "was 'eye-opening' with respect to the insight Fisher provided on 'people’s reaction around the state. And Rams fans. And things like that.'" Cook said that the players "have not been told or asked to refrain from using the 'Hands Up' gesture again." When asked whether they would do so, Cook said, "I think we kind of got our point across. Especially now, I think the world kind of understands a little bit more why we did it" (ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH, 12/4).

SORRY STATE OF AFFAIRS: The Rams' gesture, and subsequent controversy over whether the team apologized to the St. Louis PD, has been a topic on sports TV shows all week. ESPN's Dan Le Batard said, "No matter how you side, this isn't a good look for the police department demanding discipline and now parsing whether or not it was an apology or not" ("Highly Questionable," ESPN2, 12/2). ESPN's Colin Cowherd said, "The NFL has always been pro law enforcement. But in this case, law enforcement in St. Louis is trying to tell the NFL how to punish its employees." Cowherd: "You can have an opinion but if you’re law enforcement … you probably shouldn’t be telling other businesses what to do with their employees” (“You Herd Me with Colin Cowherd,” ESPN Radio, 12/2). CNN's Rachel Nichols said, "I was frankly disappointed in the Police Officers Association, who put out a statement saying they were disappointed in the players. And I was very disappointed in the St. Louis County PD, who started getting into a war of words over did the Rams really apologize and tweeted out a dictionary definition of the word ‘apology.’ What are we, 12?” ("We Need To Talk," CBS Sports Network, 12/2). ESPN’s Keith Olbermann said the SLPD “engaged in a Twitter that would have embarrassed a group of 11-year-old girls” (“Olbermann,” ESPN2, 12/2). ESPN's Michael Smith said, “This feels so petty at this point.” But he noted the Rams “could not handle this any better” and the team should continue to be “as neutral as possible” (“His & Hers,” ESPN2, 12/2). 

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