A number of black players for NFL franchise St Louis Rams raised their hands in solidarity with the Ferguson protesters before their match against the Oakland Raiders Sunday night.

Tavon Austin and Kenny Britt emerged first with their hands raised, followed by Jared Cook, Stedman Bailey and Chris Givens, who stood together with their teammates in the fog in compassion for Michael Brown who was fatally shot on August 9 by police officer Darren Wilson.

Brown was unarmed and witnesses say he had his hands up when Wilson — who resigned from the force on Saturday — shot him.

Tight end Cook said after the game: “I just think there has to be a change. There has to be a change that starts with the people that are most influential around the world.

“No matter what happened on that day, no matter how the whole situation went down, there has to be a change.”

Rams coach Jeff Fisher said he had no idea that his players had planned this show of solidarity.

Wide receiver Britt said: “I don’t want the people in the community to feel like we turned a blind eye to it. What would I like to see happen? Change in America.”

During the 52-0 victory over the Raiders, Tre Mason scored a touchdown and in celebration raised his hands alongside Britt.

“It touched a lot of us. It added fuel to our fire,” Mason said.

Cook added that the players have been too busy to travel down to Ferguson and that “it’s kind of dangerous down there and none of us want to get caught up in anything.

“It takes some guts, it takes some heart, so I admire the people around the world that have been doing it,” he added.

During the game, around 75 protesters began chanting outside the stadium at 30 police officers in riot gear: “Hands up, don’t shoot,” “No justice, no football,” “This is what democracy looks like,” and “We’re here for Mike Brown.”

The St Louis Police Officers Association (SLPOA) later asked for the five players to be disciplined in a statement and asked for an apology from the Rams and the NFL.

They went on to call the display “tasteless, offensive and inflammatory,” while SLPOA business manager Jeff Roorda was “incensed that the Rams and the NFL would tolerate such behaviour” and called it “remarkably hypocritical.”

He threatened: “I know that there are those that will say that these players are simply exercising their First Amendment rights. Well I’ve got news for people who think that way, cops have first amendment rights too, and we plan to exercise ours.”