More than 60 current and former NFL players are banding together and urging action from the United States against the ongoing religious persecution in Nigeria. The players today sent a letter to high-ranking government officials in Washington, D.C., including President Donald Trump and U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson.

“Religious and ethnic persecution in Nigeria has reached a level that demands immediate, concrete action from the United States,” the letter begins. “As current and former NFL players who care deeply about justice — here in America and around the world — we are grieved and outraged by the mounting violence, and we write to urge you to act now to confront religious persecution in Nigeria and ensure that those responsible are held to account.”

Among the actions suggested by the players: expand U.S. humanitarian assistance to the millions of displaced people in Nigeria; require public, quarterly reporting to Congress on incidents of religiously motivated violence; and fill the role of Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom at the U.S. State Department. (See the full letter below.)

“Independent humanitarian and advocacy organizations consistently rank Nigeria among the most dangerous places in the world to live openly as a Christian,” the letter reads.

On Oct. 31, President Trump officially recognized Nigeria as a “country of particular concern” — the most serious label the U.S. gives to countries known to be engaging in religious persecution.

“The United States cannot stand by while such atrocities are happening in Nigeria, and numerous other countries,” President Trump wrote on Truth Social.

The NFL players are calling for action to back up those words.

“We appreciate previous statements condemning violence and recognizing the suffering, but concern is no longer sufficient,” the letter reads.

Among the 60-plus current and former NFL players to add their name to the letter are: Steve Stenstrom, Sports Spectrum President; Benjamin Watson, Sports Spectrum Editor-in-Chief; Tony Dungy, Hall of Fame Head Coach; Kirk Cousins, Atlanta Falcons; Jameis Winston, New York Giants; Brock Purdy, San Francisco 49ers; C.J. Stroud, Houston Texans; and TreVeyon Henderson, New England Patriots.

“As men who have been entrusted with a public platform through the National Football League, we feel a moral responsibility to speak for those whose cries have gone unanswered for far too long,” the letter concludes.

In addition to the President and Speaker of the House, the letter was sent to U.S. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Senate Majority Leader John Thune, and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer.

The full letter:

Religious and ethnic persecution in Nigeria has reached a level that demands immediate, concrete action from the United States. As current and former NFL players who care deeply about justice — here in America and around the world — we are grieved and outraged by the mounting violence, and we write to urge you to act now to confront religious persecution in Nigeria and ensure that those responsible are held to account.

As the most populous country in Africa and largest African diaspora population in the U.S., Nigeria is a key partner for American economic, cultural, and regional security interests. The NFL is also full of many players who come from Nigerian families. This wonderful country is a strategically important democracy and a nation of extraordinary beauty, rich culture, and resilient people. Yet for years, Nigerians of all faiths have endured relentless attacks, kidnappings, and killings by extremist groups and criminal networks exploiting ethnic and religious divides. This ongoing brutality not only devastates families and churches but also undermines regional stability and U.S. security and humanitarian interests.

For more than a decade, the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom has identified Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern because of systematic, ongoing, and egregious injustice and violations of religious freedom. Independent humanitarian and advocacy organizations consistently rank Nigeria among the most dangerous places in the world to live openly as a Christian. These are not isolated incidents; they reflect a broader pattern of unchecked impunity.

Despite years of escalating attacks, the Nigerian Army and security services have been ineffective. Not enough attention has been given—by either the U.S. or Nigerian governments—to the ethnic Fulani militias who are committing mass atrocities and displacing
entire communities.

A new approach is urgently needed. Traditional rulers, clergy, and community leaders are central to stability in Nigeria. The United States should help to strengthen their capacity, enabling them to build sustainable transparent, community-led systems that deter corruption and enhance security coordination.

In addition, accountability must be at the center of any response. The U.S. should hold the Nigerian Army and security government leaders accountable for their recurring failure to respond to emergency calls from communities under attack, and for the Nigerian government’s failure to support the millions of displaced people of faith who have become refugees in their own land—left hungry, destitute, and traumatized by terrorist violence.

We appreciate previous statements condemning violence and recognizing the suffering, but concern is no longer sufficient. We respectfully urge you to consider the following actions to:

• Position the intelligence community to better partner with Nigerian and local officials to effectively disrupt attacks and hold to account perpetrators from ethnic Fulani militias.
• Condition U.S. military assistance and arms transfers on clear, measurable benchmarks, including timely responses to community distress calls, protection of villages and houses of worship, and transparent reporting on failures or complicity by security forces.
• Support more local security structures, particularly the needed and long stalled police reform to support local policing and accountability that secures the peace and rights of all Nigerians, particularly those who are vulnerable to attacks.
• Impose sanctions on Nigerian officials and non-state actors credibly implicated in attacks on religious communities or in obstructing justice.
• Expand U.S. humanitarian assistance to the millions of displaced people in Nigeria, ensuring they receive food, shelter, trauma care, and protection.
• Require public, quarterly reporting to Congress on incidents of ethnic and religious motivated violence, Nigerian government actions, and adjustments to U.S. assistance.
• Fill the role of Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom at the U.S. State Department, so this official can help lead our government’s strategies in Nigeria.

As men who have been entrusted with a public platform through the National Football League, we feel a moral responsibility to speak for those whose cries have gone unanswered for far too long. We ask you, as leaders of this nation, to use the full weight of your offices to defend the fundamental right to live and worship freely and to send a clear message that the United States will not stand by while Nigerians are targeted, terrorized, and killed because of their faith.

The lives at stake cannot wait.

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