St. Louis Rams executive Kevin Demoff says he did not apologize to St. Louis police for the “Hands up, don’t shoot” gestures done by five of the team’s players before Sunday’s game.
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported Monday that St. Louis County Police Chief Jon Belma wrote an email to his staff to say he had a productive meeting with the Rams earlier in the day and that the team apologized for the players’ actions.
Here is what the email said, according to the Post-Dispatch:
Members of the Department,
I received a very nice call this morning from Mr. Kevin Demoff of the St. Louis Rams who wanted to take the opportunity to apologize to our department on behalf of the Rams for the “Hands Up” gesture that some players took the field with yesterday.
Mr. Demoff clearly regretted that any members of the Ram’s organization would act in a way that minimized the outstanding work that police officers and departments carry out each and every day. My impression of the call was that it was heartfelt and I assured him that I would share it with my staff.
Thank you for your hard work, … one night to go. Stay safe.
Belmar
However, Rams VP of football operations Kevin Demoff says that while he had a good meeting with St. Louis police, he did not apologize for his players’ actions. Demoff told the Post-Dispatch he spoke with two police chiefs over the phone.
“I expressed to both of them that I felt badly that our players’ support of the community was taken as disrespectful to law enforcement,” Demoff told the Post-Dispatch.
“In none of these conversations did I apologize for our players’ actions. I did say in each conversation that I regretted any offense their officers may have taken. We do believe it is possible to both support our players’ First Amendment rights and support the efforts of local law enforcement as our community begins the process of healing.”
Demoff also said he is aiming for the Rams to improve their already strong relationship with the police.
It sounds like the police chief took an “I’m sorry you took it that way” for an “I’m sorry our guys did it.” There is a big difference between the two. And it’s very possible for the Rams to try strengthening their relationship with the police and community while allowing their players to express themselves, just like Demoff said.
