St. Louis Rams Should Bolt For Los Angeles After "Hands Up" Gesture

This past Sunday was an interesting day for the St. Louis Rams. No longer were they making headlines for their 52-0 dismantling of the Oakland Raiders, but instead for the “hands up, don’t shoot” gesture made by five different players during introductions.

The St. Louis area has been in shambles ever since news got out that Darren Wilson, a Ferguson, MO police officer, wouldn’t be charged in the killing of 18-year-old Michael Brown. There have been riots going on in the streets and at some point, Rams receivers Tavon Austin, Stedman Bailey, Chris Givens and Kenny Britt, along with tight end Jared Cook, thought it was a good idea to bring the issue into the stadium, a place where fans thought they could go to get away from everything that’s been happening in the community.

To be frank, the St. Louis County Police Department wasn’t happy about the gesture and spoke with Rams official Kevin Demoff on Monday. Soon after, it was stated by the police department that the discussion was a positive one and the Rams apologized for the gesture … that was until they were soon told otherwise by a Rams spokesman.

The police department then took to Twitter to show their displeasure, with the organization by posting the definition of an apology, but avoided the sub-tweet by mentioning Demoff, quoting him by saying “I regretted any offense their officers may have taken.”

Certainly, this issue isn’t in the best interest for the Rams after trying for a few years now to receive support to make renovations to the Edward Jones Dome; last year, the team was denied plans for a $700 million renovation. After the proposal fell through, the possibility of the team relocating back to Los Angeles has come up a number of times. Once this season ends, they’ll be able to break their lease.

The team hasn’t made the playoffs since 2004, so now, in the midst of an entire community controversy, may be the best time for the team to jump ship to a city that will welcome it with open arms. It’s safe to say that the L.A. Rams may soon be a thing of the past, the present and the future.

Tyler Olson is a blogger for www.RantSports.com.  Follow him on Twitter @to2471 or connect with him on Google.