Several members of the St. Louis Rams recently made a public show of support against the shooting of unarmed teen Mike Brown, in Ferguson, Missouri. In turn, the Rams have received a lot of heat and disapproval from the St. Louis Police Association. Now, controversial political activist Al Sharpton is speaking out in support of the Rams actions.
Five players showed up to the Edward Jones Dome with their hands raised as they showed the symbol for "don't shoot." The players claimed that this was not in an attempt to choose sides on the nation wide debate.
Instead, they say it was a simple show of support for the deceased teen.
Regardless of what their intentions were, the show did not sit well with the St. Louis Police Association. They claim the act was disrespectful to police everywhere, and that the players should apologize for their actions.
No apology has taken place as of yet, and it doesn't look like it is going to.
So far it seems that the NFL isn't going to administer any kind of punishment to the players either. Also, according to a statement to TMZ Sports, political activist Al Sharpton agrees with the display of support:
"Al Sharpton says he 'respects and admires' the St. Louis Rams players who did the 'Hands Up' tribute to Mike Brown before Sunday's game...and is calling on ALL ATHLETES to follow their lead. 'I think that they have a right to do it and it was much appreciated,' said Sharpton...Of course, the Rams have come under fire from the St. Louis Police Officers Association -- which demanded an apology...saying the players ignored 'mountains of evidence' in the case and offended cops around the country."
After such backing, one starts to wonder what kind of outcome Sharpton's support will have. Al isn't known for always keeping his nose clean.
In fact, according to NPR, Sharpton has quite the rap sheet:
"...He has been called a race-monger, anti-Semite, shameless self promoter and a shakedown artist who has used the threat of protest to extract corporate donations for his civil rights organization...his conversation with an undercover FBI agent posing as a drug dealer was taped as part of a...sting operation...He was indicted for tax evasion and fraud..."
What do you think about the situation? Does someone as controversial as Sharpton help or hinder the Ram's standpoint? Let us know in the comments below.
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