The surprising battle between NFL teams and police departments raged on Sunday.
The Cleveland Police union is unhappy after Browns wide receiver Andrew Hawkins took the field prior to their game against the Cincinnati Bengals wearing a protest T-shirt.
Hawkins wore a black shirt reading “Justice for Tamir Rice and John Crawford,” a reference to two people killed by police. The 12-year-old Rice was gunned down last month by Cleveland police while playing with a toy gun, while Crawford was killed by Beavercreek police while holding a toy gun he picked up off the shelf in a Walmart.
The silent protest — similar to the St. Louis Rams’ protest a couple of weeks back — didn’t sit well with Cleveland cops.
The president of Cleveland’s Police Patrolman Union, Jeff Follmer, sent this statement to ABC 5 in Cleveland on Sunday shortly after the news broke.
“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 with a statement of their own.
“We have great respect for the Cleveland Police Department and the work that they do to protect and serve our city,” the statement read, according to ESPN.com. “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 also opted not to formally apologize after the St. Louis Police Department called for an apology a few weeks back.
