Five St. Louis Rams players stood with their arms raised in an apparent show of solidarity for Ferguson protesters before trotting onto the field for pregame introductions.
A Rams spokesman said Sunday the team was not aware the gesture had been planned before the game against Oakland.
Wide receivers Tavon Austin and Kenny Britt came out together first, with the move obscured by a smoke machine in the upper reaches of the Edward Jones Dome. Stedman Bailey, Jared Cook and Chris Givens — all of whom are black — then came out and stood together with arms raised.
The St. Louis Police Officers Association has condemned the actions of the players who made the "hands-up, don't shoot" pose, an apparent gesture showing support for Michael Brown and Ferguson protestors.
The SLPOA released a statement that reads, in part, "[We're] profoundly disappointed with the members of the St. Louis Rams football team who chose to ignore the mountains of evidence released from the St. Louis County Grand Jury this week and engage in a display that police officers around the nation found tasteless, offensive and inflammatory."
The statement also demands the players involved be disciplined and called on the Rams and the NFL to issue a public apology as well.
After Tre Mason scored on an 8-yard run to make it 45-0 in the fourth quarter, he and Britt raised their hands together.
There have been riots, looting and buildings burned in Ferguson since a grand jury declined Monday to indict police officer Darren Wilson in the shooting death of unarmed Michael Brown in August.
Across the street from the stadium, about 75 protesters gathered in the second half as about 30 police wearing riot gear watched from a safe distance. Protesters chanted "Hands up, don't shoot!" ''No Justice, No Football!" ''This is what Democracy looks like," and "We're here for Mike Brown."
"Taking sides? No, we're over here. We want to show that we over here for a great cause. That something positive comes out of it." Chris Givens told KTVI.
"We help build up the people around this community daily and weekly by visiting schools and talking to kids. So, coming out and showing that we unified with the rest of them was key to us,"Jared Cook told KMOV.
KMOV says Austin and Bailey mirrored those sentiments, saying, "We understand that it was a big tragedy and we hope something positive comes out of it. ... There's a lot of violence around St. Louis and we just want it to stop."
Sunday's matchup against the Oakland Raiders was the Rams' first game since a grand jury cleared Officer Darren Wilson of all charges in the shooting death of unarmed teenager Michael Brown.
This decision sparked mass protests around the St. Louis area — both peaceful and violent — and demonstrations extended to cities throughout the country.
The Rams had additional security measures in place for the game, including armed personnel from the National Guard. The team has wanded fans outside entrances all season.
