Many current and former members of the Kansas City Chiefs have signed a letter from The Players Coalition which calls for the end of qualified immunity. A recent piece of legislation called the Ending Qualified Immunity Act was introduced by Representatives Justin Amash (L-Michigan) and Ayanna Pressley (D-Massachusetts) on June, 4. This letter is in support of Congressional leaders voting to pass that bill.
What is qualified immunity, you ask? Our friend Mark Schofield at Touchdown Wire provided a good definition:
“The doctrine of qualified immunity works as a shield to prevent courts from finding police officers and officials personally liable for constitutional violations, including excessive force claims. These officials cannot be held liable for monetary damages as long as the officers did not violate ‘clearly established law.‘”
Over 1,400 athletes across a number of different leagues have signed the letter, in a hope to hold police accountable. The letter poses a substantial call to action to the members of Congress in relation to the newly introduced bill.
“It is time for Congress to eliminate qualified immunity, and it can do so by passing the Amash-Pressley bill. 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. And officers must know that if they act in such a manner, there will be repercussions. A legal system that does not provide such a recourse is an illegitimate one. In their grief, people have taken to the streets because for too long, their government has failed to protect them. The Courts and elected officials alike have instead shielded people who caused unspeakable harm. Congress must not be complicit in these injustices, and it should take this important step to show that law enforcement abuse will not be tolerated.“
You can read the letter in its entirety here, including all of the signatures of those who signed it. The letter has signatures from a number of current Chiefs coaches and players including Eric Bieniemy, Sam Madison, Mike Kafka, Mike Pennel, Derrick Nnadi, Alex Okafor, Antonio Hamilton, Armani Watts, and Damien Wilson. There are signatures from several former Chiefs players such as Alex Smith, Tony Gonzalez, Jan Stenerud, Pat Surtain, Xavier Williams, Jordan Lucas, Keith Reaser and more.
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