New York (AFP)
NFL stars Tom Brady, Drew Brees, and NBA coaches Gregg Popovich and Steve Kerr are among more than 1,400 American sport leagues demanding an end to police immunity, in a letter to Congress on Wednesday.
The Players' Coalition, which also includes leaders, says it supports the "Amash-Pressley" bill, which will be introduced on Thursday by members of the US House of Representatives, Justin Amash from Michigan and Ayanna Pressley from Massachusetts , and aims in particular to facilitate the prosecution of the police for their acts of violence.
This bill seeks to end the "Qualified Immunity Act", seen as a loophole allowing police and government officials to avoid being tried in federal court.
"We are tired of the fruitless discussions on police accountability and have taken part in too much debate to determine whether there is a problem of police violence in this country," said the athletes.
"There is a problem. The world witnessed it when police officer Chauvin murdered George Floyd and the world continues to observe this problem now that law enforcement is deploying a huge presence in front of peaceful protesters, like those who stood outside the White House last week, "they said. "The time for debating the uncontrolled police authority is over. Now is the time for change."
Baseball (MLB) stars Giancarlo Stanton, Matt Kemp, American football (NFL) Odell Beckham Jr., or basketball (NBA) JJ Redick are among the other signatories.
The initiative of the American sports world comes more than two weeks after the death of George Floyd following his arrest on May 25 in Minneapolis, during which a police officer rested with his knee on his neck for almost nine minutes.
The Players Coalition originated in 2016 when five NFL players spoke to American lawmakers about racial inequality and a necessary criminal justice reform.
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