Rams tight end Jared Cook knows he’s not popular among certain groups in St. Louis right now, but he’s also not backing down.
Cook said even though the Rams have been criticized by local law enforcement and have received threats in light of the unrest in nearby Ferguson, that he’d “absolutely” repeat the “Hands Up, Don’t Shoot,” gesture he made before last week’s game,
“‘Hands Up, Don’t Shoot’ is not just a Ferguson thing, it’s a worldwide thing,” Cook said. People are doing it in New York, people are doing it in Florida, people are doing it on the West Coast.
“It’s a message worldwide that you can do things peacefully without getting out of line.”
Cook, speaking for the five players who made the statement before last week’s win over the Raiders, said he understands that some were offended, but didn’t back down when asked if he could have done it in a way not to antagonize police.
“We could have, absolutely,” Cook said, via the Associated Press. “But would we? Absolutely not.”
Cook said they met with coach Jeff Fisher, and insisted they weren’t told to not repeat it, though there were no plans to.
“I think we kind of got our point across,” Cook said. “Especially now, I think the world understands a little more why we did it.”
While the fact that an expression of non-violence would spark a firestorm seems unusual, the fact that the Rams players are willing to take a stand sets them apart from most of their peers.
