Dozens of Jaguars Players, Coaches Sign Players Coalition's Letter to Congress
On Wednesday, over 1,110 athletes and coaches from various sports leagues and more than 300 office executives left their signatures on a letter from the Players Coalition to the United States Congress in support of the "Ending Qualified Immunity Act," which calls for eliminating qualified immunity for government officials and law enforcement.
The letter endorses a bill from Reps. Justin Amash (L-Michigan) and Ayanna Pressley (D-Massachusetts) and totaled over 1,400 signatures from active and retired players, coaches, and executives between the NFL, NBA and MLB. Among the signatures are those of dozens of Jacksonville Jaguars players and coaches.
"We are tired of conversations around police accountability that go nowhere, and we have engaged in too many 'listening sessions,' where we discuss whether there is a problem of police violence in this country," the Players Coalition wrote in its letter to Congress. "There is a problem. The world witnessed it when Officer [Derek] Chauvin murdered George Floyd, and the world is watching it now, as officers deploy enormous force on peaceful protestors like those who were standing outside of the White House last week. The time for debate about the unchecked authority of the police is over; it is now time for change."
The letter calls for congress to end qualified immunity, which shields government officials, such as police officers, from being held liable for actions performed within their official capacity unless their actions violate clearly established federal law.
Among the nearly 1,500 signatures on the Player Coalition are those of the following Jaguars players and coaches. A player named "Josh Allen" also signed the letter, though it is unclear if it is the Jaguars' Josh Allen or Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen.
- CB Luq Barcoo
- WR C.J. Board
- OL A.J. Cann
- P Logan Cooke
- KR Chris Claybrooks
- ST Coordinator Joe DeCamillis
- QB Josh Dobbs
- WR Terry Godwin
- LB Joe Giles-Harris
- CB Tre Herndon
- WR Collin Johnson
- LB Leon Jacobs
- DT Abry Jones
- K Josh Lambo
- DL Aaron Lynch
- HC Doug Marrone
- Assistant ST coach Mike Mallory
- QB Gardner Minshew II
- WR coach Keenan McCardell
- QB coach Ben McAdoo
- DE Lerentee McCray
- OL Steven Nielsen
- LS Matt Orzech
- RB Devine Ozigbo
- DT Dontavius Russell
- FS JR Reed
- LB Joe Schobert
- OT Jawaan Taylor
- DC Todd Wash
- DB coach Tim Walton
- OL coach George Warhop
- LB Quincy Williams
Former Arizona and Baltimore wide receiver Anquan Boldin and current Saints safety Malcolm Jenkins founded the Players Coalition in 2017. The organization's goal is to "[make] an impact on social justice and racial equality at the federal, state and local levels through advocacy, awareness, education, and allocation of resources," per the group's website.
"It is time for Congress to eliminate qualified immunity and it can do so by passing the Amash-Pressley Bill," the letter reads. "When police officers kill an unarmed man, when they beat a woman, or when they shoot a child, the people of this country must have a way to hold them accountable in a court of law. "
