>>> I FIRMLY BELIEVE THAT SUPPORT THAT I KEEP SPORTS AND
POLITICS SEPARATE.
POLITICS SEPARATE. I'M A HEAD COACH.
I'M NOT A POLITICIAN, AN
ACTIVIST OR AN EXPERT.
ON SOCIETAL ISSUES.
>> ST. LOUIS RAM'S HEAD COACH
JEFF FISHER, IT'S CLEAR, SPORTS
AND POLITICS SHOULD BE TREATED
LIKE CHURCH AND STATE.
THAT MAY BE BECAUSE HE'S AWARE
OF THE BACKLASH THAT CAN COME
FROM MIXING THE TWO.
SINCE FIVE RAMS PLAYERS TOOK THE
FIELD LAST SUNDAY MAKING THE
HANDS UP GESTURE, THE SHOOTING
OF UNARMED MICHAEL BROWN BY
POLICE OFFICER DARREN WILSON.
THERE'S BEEN A STINGING REBUTTAL
FROM THE ST. LOUIS POLICE
ASSOCIATION, THE UNION THAT
REPRESENTS THE CITY'S OFFICERS.
TO THEM, THE HANDS UP WAS AN
AFFRONT THAT CALLS FOR THE
PLAYERS TO BE DISCIPLINED.
>> THE NFL REFUSED TO DISCIPLINE THE RAMS AND AT LEAST ONE PLAYER
RAMS TIGHT END JARED COOK SAYS
PLAYER WHO IS HAVE BEEN
THREATENING IS NOT BACKING DOWN.
PROFOOTBALL TALK COACH SAID EVEN
THOUGH RAMS HAVE BEEN CRITICIZED
AND RECEIVED THREATS THAT HE
ABSOLUTELY REPEAT THE HANDS UP,
DON'T SHOOT JES TUR.
IT BRINGS FOCUS TO THIS WEEKEND
IN WASHINGTON, D.C.
WHO EVERYONE APPARENTLY FORGOT,
TOOK THE FIELD DURING A
PRE-SEASON GAME BACK IN AUGUST
MAKING THE HANDS UP, DON'T SHOOT
GESTURE.
GESTURE. THIS SUNDAY, BEING THE FIRST
WEEK OF GAMES SINCE THE DECISION
IN THE ERIC GARNER GRAND JURY
WAS ANNOUNCED, I'M ANXIOUS TO
SEE WHAT HAPPENS.
THE WAY THIS NOW ICONIC PROTEST
MOMENT DID IN MEXICO CITY DID
WHEN JOHN CARLOS AND TOMMY SMITH
RAISE THEIR FISTS IN THE AIR AS
THE STAR SPANGLED BANNER PLAYED
AT THE 1968 SUMMER OLYMPICS.
THERE WERE THOSE WHO VIEWED
SMITH AND CARLOS WITH SIMILAR
DISDAIN.
DISDAIN. WE KNOW AT THE TIME FAMED SPORTS
CASTER BRETT MUSBURGER SAID
"SMITH AND CARLOS LOOK LIKE A
COUPLE OF BLACK-SKINNED STORM
TROOPERS."
TROOPERS." JOINI INING ME NOW IS FORMER OLC
ATHLETE DR. JOHN CARLOS.
>>> MR. CARLOS, I WANT TO HEAR
YOUR REACTION TO THE BACKLASH
THAT THOSE RAMS PLAYERS HAVE
FACED THIS WEEK.
>> WELL, IT'S RELATIVE TO 68.
BACKLASH IS BECAUSE YOU DID
SOMETHING THAT WAS NECESSARY TO
DO THAT THE GENERAL PUBLIC MIGHT
NOT HAVE BEEN READY FOR: WHEN I
SIT AND LOOK AT THE PLAYS FOR A
WHILE, ST. LOUIS AND ALL OF
THOSE PLAYERS IN BAS KET BALL
AND FEEL SO FAR IN DEALING WITH
THESE ISSUES, IT REFLEBLGTS ON
JOHN CARLOS BACK 46 YEARS AGO.
I BELIEVE WHAT YOU'VE SEEN TODAY
IS JUST THAT.
PEOPLE AROUND THE WORLD NOW ARE
SAYING ENOUGH IS ENOUGH.
THAT'S BASICALLY WHAT THE RAMS
WERE SAYING.
WERE SAYING. THAT'S BASICALLY WHAT THE
CLIPPERS WERE SAYING RELATIVE TO
THEIR FORMER OWNER.
THE ATROCITIES HAVE BEEN TAKING
PLACE.
PLACE. THEY'RE NOT JUST MERELY THINKING
ABOUT THEMSELVES AS MUCH AS
THEY'RE THINKING ABOUT THEIR
KIDS, THEIR WIVES, THEIR
BROTHERS, THEIR MOTHERS AND
FATHERS.
FATHERS. >> THERE'S A SPECIFIC POWER HERE
TO AN ATHLETE ABLE TO KIND OF
SEIZE THE MOMENT THERE A WAY.
WHEN YOU DID WHAT YOU DID IN
1968, THE BACKLASH WAS FIERCE.
AT THE TIME, IT WASN'T
PARTICULARLY CELEBRATED ACROSS
THE SPECTRUM AT ALL.
WE DIDN'T HAVE THE MEDIA THAT WE
HAVE NOW.
HAVE NOW. THERE WAS NO WAY TO EXPRESS THIS
ABOUT WHAT TOOK PLACE IN MEXICO
CITY.
CITY. >> DO YOU THINK THAT ATHLETES
HAVE MORE THAN JUST THE FREEDOM
OR LICENSE TO EXPRESS
THEMSELVES, BUT HAVE SOME KIND
OF AFFIRMTY TO MIX WHAT THEY DO.
THERE'S SOME KIND OF
RESPONSIBILITY ON THEM TO HAVE
THE PLATFORM THEY DO TO SPEAK
OUT.
OUT. >> I DON'T THINK THEY PRECLUDED
FROM THE FIRST AMENDMENT.
THE ATHLETES, THAT'S NOT JUST
PAINT ON THE WALL.
THEY HAVE PART OF THEIR SOCIETY
AND CONCERNS AND EMOTIONS THAT'S
TAKING PLACE IN AND AROUND THEIR
ENVIRONMENTS.
ENVIRONMENTS. >> RECENTLY, CHARLES BARKLEY IS
A PROMINENT TALKING END ANALYST
AND BASKETBALL PLAYER, HAS HAD A
LOT TO SAY ABOUT THE FALL FROM
FERGUSON.
FERGUSON. I WANT TO PLAY ONE CLIP ABOUT
WHAT HE HAD TO SAY FROM THEIR
REACTION AND HERE'S MR. BARKLEY.
>> THERE IS PROFILING.
TAKE A LOOK AT RACIAL PROFILING.
BUT THE TRUTH OF THE MATTER IS A
LOT OF BLACKS IN SOME OF THESE
NEIGHBORHOODS KMITING CRIMES.
WE ASK THE COPS TO COME IN AND
CLEAN IT UP.
BH
BH WHEN SOMETHING GOES WRONG, WED
TURN ON THEM.
THAT'S COMPLETELY UNFAIR.
WE DON'T HOLD EACH OTHER
ACCOUNTABLE.
ACCOUNTABLE. WE DON'T DEMAND RESPECT AND
HIGHER STANDARDS FROM EACH
OTHER.
OTHER. >> YOUR REACTION TO THAT, MR.
CARLOS?
CARLOS? >> FIRST OF ALL, I WOULD HAVE TO
REALIZE THAT THE POLICE
DEPARTMENT IS TRAINED TO PROTECT
AND SERVE.
AND SERVE. WITHIN THAT PROTECTION AND
SERVING, THEY HAVE THESE POLICE
COME OUT TO BE VERY AGGRESSIVE.
NOT ALL POLICE.
WE HAVE MANY GOOD COPS
THROUGHOUT THIS COUNTRY.
BUT WE HAVE SOME THAT ARE
OVERZEALOUS.
OVERZEALOUS. THEY'RE TRAINING THE POLICE TO
COME OUT AND BE AGGRESSIVE WHEN
THEY'RE MAKING CHARGES AGAINST
THESE INDIVIDUALS.
THESE INDIVIDUALS. WHO'S TRAINING THE GENERAL
PUBLIC IN TERMS OF HOW WE'RE
SUPPOSED TO RESPOND TO POLICE
WHEN THEY COME TO YOU IN A VERY
AGGRESSIVE MANNER.
AGGRESSIVE MANNER. WHEN THEY COME TO YOU WITH MORE
AGGRESSIVE POLICE.
AGGRESSIVE POLICE. I REMEMBER BEING A KID DOWN THE
STREETS IN NEW YORK, WE USED TO
HAVE BEAT COPS.
WE HAD RESPECT AND ADMIRATION
FOR THEM AND THEY SHOWED RESPECT
AND ADMIRATION FOR PEOPLE IN THE
CITY.
CITY. SO ONCE WE GET BACK TO THOSE
GROUNDS, WE MIGHT HAVE SOME
PEACE AND UNDERSTANDING.
BUT UNTIL THAT TIME WHEN THEY
KEEP JUST HAVING THESE GRAND
JURIES AND ALWAYS TURNING UP IN
A NEGATIVE SENSE TO DEFEND THESE
INDIVIDUALS DURING THESE
ATROCITIES, THE PEOPLE DON'T
HAVE UNREST UNTIL THE LAWS ARE
CHANGED.
CHANGED. AND I MIGHT ADD THERE'S ALWAYS
BEEN THE STORM BEFORE THE QUIET.
>> THANK YOU, JOHN CARLOS.
>>>