Cleveland Browns Receiver Upsets Police With ‘Justice For Tamir Rice And John Crawford’ Shirt

Yesterday, the Cincinnati Bengals absolutely demolished the Cleveland Browns 30-zip. However, Cleveland’s woes go way deeper  than the poor performance of its NFL team (including Johnny Football’s embarrassing stats). Eric Holder and the U.S. Justice Department found irrefutable evidence that Cleveland Police have been guilty of using excessive force.

There have been two incidents this year that have upset many people in the community and across the nation, both ruled homicides.  On November 22, Tamir Rice, age 12, was fatally shot within seconds of the arrival of a police cruiser for holding a toy gun.  On August 5th, 22 year-old John Crawford was gunned down by police for holding a pellet gun in a Walmart.

Sports figures have a forum for airing their controversial grievances and often take advantage of their wide exposure.  During pre-game warm ups, Brown’s wide receiver, Andrew Hawkins, donned a shirt that upset the Cleveland Police Union

Police Union representative, Jeff Follmer said his display of support for the two victims was “pathetic.“

 “He should stick to playing football and let us worry about law enforcement.  The players don’t know what our job entails. Don’t judge us by what you’re reading in the media.”

The police union demanded an apology from Hawkins, but a statement from the Browns said they respect their players’ right to protest.

“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.”

Civil rights icons from the 1960’s and 1970’s fully support today’s athletes who use their forum to invoke a national movement  for change.  Let’s face it, there’s no one more beloved than a local sports hero, and his or her power to invoke a conversation about race is unparalleled.

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