New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees has backed up his words with actions, following up his changed perspective on peaceful protests by adding his voice to a list of over 1,400 professional athletes and coaches writing to the United States Congress in hope of new legislation ending qualified immunity.
The letter was issued by the Players Coalition, which you can read here. Brees was joined in signing the petition by many of his teammates, including Terron Armstead, Demario Davis, Ethan Greenidge, Deonte Harris, Malcolm Jenkins, Cameron Jordan, Alvin Kamara, Ty Montgomery, and Noah Spence. Former Saints players Delvin Breaux, Jermon Bushrod, Marques Colston, Jabari Greer, Deuce McAllister, Lance Moore, Scott Shanle, and Benjamin Watson also added their signatures.
And their focus is aimed at ending qualified immunity. As explained by our own Mark Schofield over at Touchdown Wire:
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.”
Schofield included several examples of how the qualified immunity doctrine has been used to protect law enforcement officers from lawsuits accusing them of police brutality, which has been a central message of demonstrators at protests around the nation following the death of Minneapolis man George Floyd during an arrest.
It shouldn’t surprise anyone that so many Saints players have taken an interest in this fight. Davis, Jenkins, and Watson are founding members of the Players Coalition, while Brees has stepped up as an ally after several days of intense conversations with his friends and teammates. Stay tuned to see how they use their platform to again advance the cause.
