NYC Sports Teams Mourn Slain Officers

The Jets, Giants and Nets all joined in mourning the two NYPD officers who were gunned down in the line of duty Saturday.

Jets lineman Nick Mangold came onto the field at MetLife stadium before the team's 17-16 loss to New England wearing a black NYPD cap, while Giants head coach Tom Coughlin wore a black stripe on his jacket as the team beat the St. Louis Rams. And in Brooklyn, the borough where officers Rafael Ramos and Wenjian Liu were fatally shot Saturday, the Nets observed a moment of silence before their game against the Detroit Pistons. 

Ramos and Liu were shot while sitting in their patrol car in Bedford-Stuyvesant. The suspect, Ismaaiyl Brinsley, wrote on an Instagram account: "I'm putting wings on pigs today. They take 1 of ours, let's take 2 of theirs," officials said. Police Commissioner Bill Bratton has called the killings an "assassination."

Mangold took the field wearing the hat and held it over his heart during the singing of the national anthem. The team also observed 10 seconds of silence for Ramos and Liu. 

Mangold left the game with an ankle injury in the second quarter and said in the locker room that it was "a shame" to hear the news.

"Every one of those guys that's out there, they risk their lives every day," Mangold said. "They go out there to keep the community safe and for that to happen to those two guys, their families, that's a raw deal. If wearing that (cap) gives them a little bit of comfort or shows support for those folks, I'm happy to do it."

Jets defensive lineman Sheldon Richardson, who has been critical of law enforcement in the past, spoke out Sunday in support of of the officers.

"Some innocent blood was spilled," Richardson said after New York's 17-16 loss to New England. "I'm not with that at all. That's the message that I'm trying to get across. It's sad, real sad that two officers lost their lives and can't go home to their families. It's just tough, man."

Richardson, from the St. Louis area, had recently been critical of the grand jury in Ferguson, Missouri, which didn't indict officer Darren Wilson in the killing of Michael Brown on Aug. 9. He wrote on Twitter after the jury's decision that "they let this pig get off."

"I don't know the guy, I don't know the perp," Richardson said. "I just heard that two officers lost their lives sitting in their car. I'm with the peaceful protests and stuff like that, defending your rights. ... That's not the way to go, murdering innocent cops."

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New York Giants Head Coach Tom Coughlin wore a black stripe on his jacket.

Meanwhile, Giants coach Tom Coughlin wore a black strip on the left shoulder and a peace sign under the NY logo on his pullover for the team's game against the Rams. A Giants spokesman said Coughlin made the personal decision to pay tribute to the fallen officers. 

In the NBA, the Nets honored Liu and Ramos before their game against the Pistons with a moment of silence. Two officers in dress uniforms stood at center court as the normally raucous Barclays Center went quiet for 60 seconds. Then, during the game, an NYPD hat was displayed at the scorer's table.

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Sunday's Nets game at the Barclays Center included one minute of silence for slain police officers Wenjian Liu and Rafael Ramos.

The Yankees, meanwhile, donated $20,000 to college funds for Ramos' two sons.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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