St Louis Rams Jared Cook Doesn't Regret "Hands Up Don't Shoot" Ferguson Gesture In Support Of Michael Brown: "It's A Worldwide Thing"

St Louis Rams tight end Jared Cook would "absolutely" repeat the "Hands Up Don't Shoot" pre-game stance he and four other Rams teammates took in support of the family and friends of slain Ferguson teen Michael Brown, even if he's receiving online threats for his actions. In response to former NFL coach and ESPN panelist Mike Ditka saying that the Rams players should be "embarrassed" for their stance, Cook is anything but.

"'Hands up, don't shoot' is not just a Ferguson thing," Cook said to reporters after the Rams Wednesday practice. "It's a worldwide thing.

"People are doing it in New York, people are doing it in Florida, people are doing it on the West Coast. It's not just about Ferguson. It's a message worldwide that for young adults that you can protest and you can do things peacefully without getting out of line."

You can watch the press conference here.

Cook also revealed that he'd been the subject of threats directed his way by commenters on social media, but the tight end shrugged them off, saying "That's how people choose to operate their lives."

He added the dialogue is important in times such as there, saying "I feel like we should be able to talk about our problems; there's no reason to send threats or to hype up a situation that's already intensified."

Cook added, "People have different opinions, different views."

When asked if he could've gotten his point across differently, Cook answered "We could have, absolutely. But would we? Absolutely not."

As for the reaction Cook and teammates Kenny Britt, Tavon Austin, Stedman Bailey and Chris Givens received for their actions, Cook explained that they didn't "think it was going to be as big as it's being portrayed."

With the NFL saying the players (via CNN) would not be disiplined for their stance, the 'Hand's Up, Don't Shoot' gesture, he said, was something the players "wanted to do for the people in Ferguson and around the world that are protesting peacefully and doing things in the community right to help bring Ferguson back and the communities around the world to help raise awareness and help build their communities up."

As blacksportsonline.com point out, it speaks to the double standard people are held to when they're asked to demonstrate peacefully, and what happens when they do, saying "in this case NFL players do a very non-violent, peaceful and uplifting gesture they are told to shut it down".

It's a sentiment echoed by NBC's profootballtalk.com's Darin Gantt, who says that "While the fact that an expression of non-violence would spark a firestorm seems unusual, the fact that the Rams players are willing to take a stand sets them apart from most of their peers."

As for Cook, he feels like his point has been made. "We have not been asked to not make the gesture again," he said. "Will we make it again? I think we kind of got our point across. Especially now I think the world kind of understands a little more why we did it."

"It's not about fighting each other," Cook added. "It's not about wrong and right. It's about treating people with respect."