Players Coalition gets 1,400 signatures for bill to end police immunity

In an effort to make law enforcement more accountable in the United States, the Players Coalition gathered over 1,400 signatures from current and retired athletes supporting a bill to end qualified immunity, according to ESPN's Michael Rothstein.

Qualified immunity is a legal doctrine that makes it difficult to take legal action against police officers and government officials for their conduct.

A number of high-profile athletes from the NFL, MLB, and NBA signed the letter, including Drew Brees, Tom Brady, Dak Prescott, Alex Bregman, CC Sabathia, Steve Kerr, and Gregg Popovich.

"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 coalition wrote in a 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 letter continued. "The time for debate about the unchecked authority of the police is over; it is now time for change."

The organization also invited every NFL team to a virtual meeting on Wednesday that will focus on how the league can promote social justice while assisting black communities, a source told ESPN's Dianna Russini.

Anquan Boldin and Malcolm Jenkins founded the Players Coalition in 2017. The group works to change social inequality and bring awareness to the issue.

Every major North American sports league has addressed racial injustice and plans to take major steps to tackle the problem.

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