Cleveland Police: ‘Pathetic’ Browns Player ‘Owes Us Apology’ for Tamir Rice Shirt
Second verse, same as the first.
Weeks after the St. Louis Police Union demanded an apology from the St. Louis Rams for their “hands up, don’t shoot” gesture in reference to the shooting death of Michael Brown, a different police union is after another football player for his own protest.
Cleveland Browns wide receiver Andrew Hawkins wore a shirt that read “Justice for Tamir Brown and John Crawford” during Sunday’s warmup. The former name is in reference to a twelve-year-old gunned down by Cleveland police while carrying a toy pistol last month; the latter of a man shot in a Walmart last August in a similar situation.
Police Patrolman Union President Jeff Follmer wasn’t happy, telling local station NewsNet5:
It’s pretty pathetic when athletes think they know the law. They should stick to what they know best on the field. The Cleveland Police protect and serve the Browns stadium and the Browns organization owes us an apology.
The Browns responded:
We have great respect for the Cleveland Police Department and the work that they do to protect and serve our city. We also respect our players’ rights to project their support and bring awareness to issues that are important to them if done so in a responsible manner.
The Rams didn’t apologize and the NFL didn’t make them. Meanwhile, several other players in both the NFL and NBA wore Eric Garner and Michael Brown paraphranelia during warmups last week as well, which commentators took as a sign of a growing political awareness and expression among athletes.
[Image via WEWS]
