Tom Brady and a list of other NFL players have signed onto a letter urging U.S. Attorney General William Barr to take action in the murder case of Georgia man Ahmaud Arbery.
The letter, sponsored by the NFL Players Coalition, urges the Department of Justice to intervene in the case that has dragged on for months in Georgia, Pro Football Talk noted.
“The local investigation into this case is marred by conflicts, inaction, [the second assigned prosecutor’s] very deliberate attempt to ensure that Mr. Arbery received no justice, and the current prosecutor’s total failure to act until social media forced his hand,” the letter states. “The local police force can never be independent, as the elder-McMichael used to work there. And [the second assigned prosecutor’s] statements about the case surely have tainted the local jury pool. If people are to have faith in the justice system, the Department of Justice must act with the FBI leading the investigation.
In a statement issued by the Players Coalition, Malcolm Jenkins cited the “absence of justice” in the Arbery case.
“The absence of justice is ever-present,” Jenkins wrote. “Another black life has been taken by a bullet and the slaying justified by white fear. A coordinated attack on a man, who did nothing more than go on a jog, was recorded and yet it took this long for police to make an arrest and for prosecutors to take the case to a grand jury. And this only happened because of public outcry. We need to eliminate laws like the citizens’ arrest law relied upon here, laws that justify the taking of innocent lives. We need elected officials who hold those who cause unmitigated harm accountable. We need massive change. The time is now — the cycle can’t continue.”
Along with Tom Brady, other players who signed onto the letter include, Patrick Chung, Maxx Crosby, Demario Davis, Warrick Dunn, Julian Edelman, Stephon Gilmore, Mark Ingram, Malcolm Jenkins, Cam Jordan, Steve Kerr, Brandon Marshall, Devin, Jason McCourty, Josh McCown, Matthew Slater, Torrey Smith, Takeo Spikes, Shaq Thompson, Kyle Van Noy, Troy Vincent, Benjamin Watson, James White, and Aeneas Williams.
Social media became enflamed this week after a video emerged of the February 28 murder of black jogger Arbery who was gunned down by two white men who claimed they thought the victim was a burglary suspect.
The two white men, Gregory McMichael, 64, and Travis McMichael, 34, were arrested Thursday.
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