National Football League
Report: Jets' Sheldon Richardson calls Ferguson's Darren Wilson 'a pig'
National Football League

Report: Jets' Sheldon Richardson calls Ferguson's Darren Wilson 'a pig'

Published Dec. 4, 2014 11:06 a.m. ET

A Missouri grand jury's decision not to indict former Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson in the shooting death of Michael Brown has drawn criticism from many across the country, including several figures in the public eye, and for one New York Jets player, his anger over last week's news has yet to subside.

Speaking with the New York Daily News Wednesday, Jets defensive end Sheldon Richardson laid into the recently resigned officer, telling the paper: "Darren Wilson is a pig. I'm not talking about all cops. I'm just talking about one in particular."

Richardson's comments came Wednesday before a New York grand jury elected not to charge NYPD officer Daniel Pantaleo in the death of Eric Garner, who died after being put in a choke hold by Pantaleo during an arrest in July.

Richardson, a St. Louis native who attended the University of Missouri, has long been vocal about his stance in the Wilson case, taking to Twitter shortly after the grand jury decision to voice his displeasure with the outcome:

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He also spoke to the Daily News about the perception of the black community in his hometown.

"I know the tolerance level of people back home in the inner city," Richardson said. "They're just fed up with that. They're fed up with being wrongfully profiled. That's been happening. . . . It's usually his word against the officer's. But Mike Brown's dead, so we'll (never know) his word."

In addition to his comments about Wilson, Richardson also told the paper he supported the silent protest made by St. Louis Rams players Jared Cook, Tavon Austin, Chris Givens, Kenny Britt and Stedman Bailey before Sunday's game against Oakland. The five players emerged from the tunnel in a "hands up, don't shoot" pose that has become a sign of support for Brown.

"I'm glad somebody else in the league said something besides me," Richardson told the Daily News. "I'm happy about somebody else taking a stand."

Earlier this week, the Rams and the NFL announced that the Rams players would not be penalized for the display.

"We have the option to do what we want as long as we're not throwing up obscene gestures," Richardson told the Daily News. "We're just protesting peacefully.

"It's an opinion," he added later. "You're going to agree with it or you're not. I really don't give a damn if you agree with me or not. I don't care if you don't like me no more or don't root for me no more. I stand for what I stand for. I'm from St. Louis. I know how people act there. I'm used to it. I'm not going to change who I am because I got a fan base now."

The Jets' next game is Sunday, at Minnesota.

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