Pro athletes' Ferguson demonstration

Ty Miller on five St. Louis Rams players protesting the police shooting in Ferguson

This is a RUSH transcript from "The O'Reilly Factor," December 5, 2014. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.
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O'REILLY: Back of the Book segment tonight. Last Sunday before a pro-football game in St. Louis, five Rams players protested the police shooting in Ferguson. They entered the field with their hands up in protest. Many folks were offended and a controversy blossomed.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JARED COOK, ST. LOUIS RAMS TIGHT END: "Hands up, don't Shoot" is not just a Ferguson thing 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 and for everybody that you can protest and you can do things peacefully without getting out of line.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

O'REILLY: Now, we invited Mr. Cook and the other Rams' players on The Factor but they declined.

Joining us now from Pittsburgh, Ty Miller, news and sports manager for American Urban Radio Networks. So, my beef is this. I believe that the Rams players who did that need to explain exactly and specifically why they use the "Hands up, don't Shoot" when it has been disproved in direct testimony and in forensic evidence that there was no hands up involved in the Ferguson shooting. Am I wrong?

TY MILLER, MANAGER, AMERICAN URBAN RADIO NETWORKS: Well, I think there are accounts that there were hands up involved.

O'REILLY: No, it has been knocked down, Mr. Miller.

MILLER: There has been hands up don't shoot accounts. So, I think people ran with that what they simply mean is that okay, if you encounter a police officer and they are in a situation where there might be a shooting, they put their hands up, don't shoot. I don't think the players are looking at the testimony per se.

O'REILLY: Okay. But they should be because what they are doing these players is taking a false narrative that Michael Brown had his hands up and said don't shoot, that when that never happened. It never happened. It's been proven beyond a reasonable doubt. But these football players perpetuate the myth that has angered and in some cases ignited violence. I feel that's irresponsible. I don't mind them protesting, all right? But it has to be in a responsible way. They have to know the facts of the case that they're bringing attention to. Again, I might be wrong.

MILLER: They should know the facts, Bill. They should know the facts about that case.

O'REILLY: Right.

MILLER: But I think when you talk about, "hands up, don't shoot" I think when it comes to the athletes, when it comes to black men in general, you're talking about cases worldwide where it's happened where people have been shot by police. Now, sometimes justifiably and other cases not. So with this whole thing it's about just put your hands up and don't shoot. My hands up. You know, it's not a situation where they're looking at all the facts.

O'REILLY: But they didn't look at the facts. And my message to all pro-athletes in a forum where they get masses of people watching them is don't do it unless you know what you're talking about. Is that an unreasonable request?

MILLER: Well, that's a request, but I don't think it's unreasonable. But I do think -- I think the athletes are just taking a public stand pretty much like those athletes back in 1968 on the podium at the Olympics. And the thing has become, you know, "hands up, don't shoot," I don't think they're wrong for doing that. Now, the forums for with which they do that on the field, before the games, during the games, that's not the place for that.

O'REILLY: All right. We have a respectful disagreement. I think the Rams players were wrong to do something like that when what they were promoting isn't true. And let me ask you another question. Can you imagine how a police officer in the stadium guarding the players, because you know they have them in every stadium from unruly fans, do you know how what they felt? Do you know how disrespected they felt?

MILLER: Here's the thing about that, I really think that it was not the proper forum for that. That's not where you do that. You're promoting the brand of the rams of the NFL. So, if I'm a coach I'm saying, okay, this is not the proper place to do this. We have a game to play. So I agree with that part of it.

O'REILLY: All right. Good. And I wanted the Rams players to come on this program to see what their frame of reference is about the Ferguson case. See how much they know. Because it just tease me off, Mr. Miller, when idiots -- and I'm not saying the Rams players are that, I'm not saying that, get out there and start screaming about what they want when they have no blanking clue about what's going on. It really wrangles me. If you're going to protest, if you're going to have a message, know what the facts are and what you want to accomplish. I'll give you the last word.

MILLER: Well, I think it's a situation where I don't think they're idiots. And I think they're looking at the facts that, okay, if I'm in a situation and if there's a gun involve and if there's a police officer involved, the message is my hands up, don't shoot. Maybe not all the facts are not known. And maybe that's not the same situation as the Michael Brown situation. But that's just a universal message.

O'REILLY: All right. Mr. Miller, thanks for your time.

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