Mike Ditka Takes Rams Who Demonstrated Solidarity With Ferguson Protesters To Task
(CBS) It was headline news earlier this week when five St. Louis Rams players showed solidarity for Ferguson protesters and the late Michael Brown by walking out in pregame warmups with a "hands up, don't shoot" pose. The St. Louis Police Officers Association demanded an apology, then a police official claimed to have received one from a Rams official. The team didn't publicly state an apology of any sort and said they hadn't given one to the police department.
Not surprisingly, former Bears coach and NFL Hall of Famer Mike Ditka isn't a fan of the drama. In his weekly piece/interview with the Chicago Sun-Times, he said he was "embarrassed for the players more than anything."
From the Sun-Times:
"It's a shame this thing has come to this," Ditka said. "The shame of it is, I'm not sure they care about Michael Brown or anything else. This was a reason to protest and to go out and loot. Is this the way to celebrate the memory of Michael Brown? Is this an excuse to be lawless? Somebody has to tell me that. I don't understand it. I understand what the Rams' take on this was. I'm embarrassed for the players more than anything. They want to take a political stand on this? Well, there are a lot of other things that have happened in our society that people have not stood up and disagreed about.
"I wasn't in Ferguson. I don't know exactly what happened. But I know one thing: If we dismantle and limit the power of our policemen any more than we have already, then we're going to have a lot of problems in this country.
"What do you do if someone pulls a gun on you or is robbing a store and you stop them? I don't want to hear about this hands-up crap. That's not what happened. I don't know exactly what did happen, but I know that's not what happened. This policeman's life is ruined. Why? Because we have to break somebody down. Because we have to even out the game. I don't know. I don't get it. Maybe I'm just old fashioned."
