NFL Players Just Took a Powerful Stand in Support of Ferguson

Impact

The news: At their preseason game against the Cleveland Browns on Monday, the Washington Redskins walked out onto the field with their hands in the air, the quickly spreading symbol of the victimization and injustice transpiring right now in Ferguson, Mo.

Just as countless citizens have put up their hands in the face of police aggression during the protests and demonstrations following the murder of the black unarmed 18-year-old Michael Brown, Redskins players Brandon Merriweather and DeAngelo Hall made a statement by following suit.

Redskins safety Ryan Clark told the Washington Post, "Everybody was in it. Everybody was together. It was a really good opportunity to make a statement and be more than football players."

Their epic entrance was not broadcast on television, but several attendees shared the moment through social media.

 

The clashes between protesters and heavily armed police outside St. Louis have continued into their second week, prompting shows of support from online communities, including a number of celebrities such as Moby, Lena Dunham and Mia Farrow. Representing Washington, D.C., a city with horribly skewed arrest rates of black men, the Redskins' protest is a ringing reminder of the pains of racial discrimination and police brutality in America.  

h/t Color Lines