University of Arkansas RB Jonathan Williams, St. Louis Rams' Tavon Austin, Stedman Bailey, Kenny Britt 'Hands Up, Don’t Shoot' Gesture Sparks Controversy Following Ferguson, Missouri Protests

A full day before five St. Louis Rams players sparked controversy within their own city this past Sunday by walking onto the Edwards Jones Dome field, mimicking the "Hands Up, Don't Shoot" gesture that has become a symbol of the protests in Ferguson, Missouri, another football player made the same political statement to much less media attention. That player was University of Arkansas running back Jonathan Williams, who celebrated a touchdown against the University of Missouri on Saturday by placing both his hands up and staring directly into a sea of endzone cameras.

Many athletes — from Lebron James to Serena Williams to Magic Johnson — took to Twitter to voice their opinions last week when it was announced that Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson would not be indicted in the shooting death of 18-year-old Michael Brown.

But Williams' small act of protest seemed to be the first of its kind physically on any high-profile field of play since Brown was killed in August.

Neither Arkansas or Missouri have not commented on Williams' actions, as it sparked little attention nationwide.

The same cannot be said for the five Rams players – Tavon Austin, Stedman Bailey, Kenny Britt, Jared Cook and Chris Givens – who made the gesture during player introductions before St. Louis' 52-0 win over the Oakland Raiders.

According to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the St. Louis Police Officer Association asked the NFL to discipline the players and apologize for their actions.

"It is unthinkable that hometown athletes would so publicly perpetuate a narrative that has been disproven over and over again," St. Louis Police Officer Association business manager Jeff Roorda told the Post-Dispatch.

The players told the Associated Press they believe they were representing their city appropriately.

"I don't want the people in the community to feel like we turned a blind eye to it," Britt said. "What would I like to see happen? Change in America."