Cleveland Police Demand Apology Following Browns Player's Protest

Police in Cleveland are demanding an apology after a Cleveland Browns player wore a t-shirt at Sunday's game demanding justice for two men recently killed by local police officers.

Browns wide receiver Andrew Hawkins appeared on the field ahead of Sunday's game against the Cincinnati Bengals wearing a t-shirt that read: "Justice for Tamir Rice and John Crawford." Rice was a 12-year-old shot by Cleveland police in November when police mistook his toy gun for a real gun, and Crawford was shot in a Walmart back in July, also for carrying a toy gun.

Following Hawkins' demand for justice, Jeff Follmer, head of the Cleveland Police Union, called the athlete's statement "pathetic."

"It's pretty pathetic when athletes think they know the law," Follmer wrote in a statement to Cleveland WEWS-Channel 5. "They should stick to what they know best on the field. The Cleveland Police protect and serve the Browns stadium, and the Browns organization owes us an apology."

The Browns issued a statement in response that read: "We have great respect for the Cleveland Police Department and the work that they do to protect and serve our city. We also respect our players' rights to project their support and bring awareness to issues that are important to them if done so in a responsible manner."

A similar incident happened last month when members of the St. Louis Rams team did the "hands up" pose in response to the shooting of unarmed teen Michael Brown in the St. Louis suburb of Ferguson. The St. Louis Police Department demanded an apology from the football team, but the football team refused to give one.