St. Louis Rams Deny Apology to Police Department

Members of the St. Louis Rams NFL team are reportedly refusing to apologize to St. Louis police after they made a gesture in support of Ferguson protesters during this weekend's game.

Five players with the team took to the field during this past Sunday's game with their hands up, a symbol used by protesters in Ferguson, Missouri to protest the shooting of unarmed teen Michael Brown by local police officer Darren Wilson back in August. 

Following the players' stunt, members of the St. Louis Police Department demanded an apology from the team, saying the gesture was an insult to law enforcement in the Missouri city.

Rams COO Kevin Demoff reportedly called St. Louis County Police Chief Jon Belmar on Monday to say he regretted the actions of his players. Now, however, players are rejecting Demoff's apology, saying they are not sorry for their actions on Sunday.

"Mr. Demoff clearly regretted that any members of the Ram's (sic) organization would act in a way that minimized the outstanding work that police officers and departments carry out each and every day," Belmar said in an email to the department, as reported by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. "My impression of the call was that it was heartfelt and I assured him that I would share it with my staff."

Demoff then backtracked, telling the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that he did not apologize for his players' actions.

"In none of these conversations did I apologize for our players' actions," Demoff told the Post-Dispatch. "I did say in each conversation that I regretted any offense their officers may have taken. We do believe it is possible to both support our players' First Amendment rights and support the efforts of local law enforcement as our community begins the process of healing."