US EditionNFL Players Urge Washington to Take Additional Action on Violence and Religious Persecution in Nigeria
NFL figures call for U.S. diplomatic, military, and humanitarian action to address Nigeria's religious violence causing over 7,000 deaths this year, advocacy groups say.
- Sports Spectrum coordinated a Dec. 19, 2025 letter signed by over 60 current and former NFL players, submitted to President Donald Trump and congressional leaders including House Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Majority Leader John Thune.
- Human rights organizations report devastating casualty and displacement figures in Nigeria, estimating over 52,000 Christian deaths since 2009, more than 7,000 this year, thousands kidnapped, over 19,000 churches destroyed, and the November kidnapping of more than 200 schoolchildren.
- Signers outlined concrete steps including conditioning military aid on civilian protections, imposing sanctions, expanding humanitarian aid, requiring Congress reporting, dismantling the Fulani Ethnic Militia, and filling the Ambassador-at-Large post.
- Benjamin Watson organized the appeal as Sports Spectrum’s editor-in-chief, and the faith-and-sports publication coordinated the first direct letter stressing that the lives at stake cannot wait.
- Since 2009, the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom has labeled Nigeria a country of particular concern, while rights groups say Nigerian security forces respond too slowly and prosecutions are rare; if heeded, the letter’s recommendations could reshape U.S. diplomatic, military and humanitarian policy toward Nigeria.
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15 Articles
82 NFL Players and Coaches Sign Letter Calling for U.S. Action on Christian Persecution in Nigeria
Dozens of current and former NFL players and coaches are urging U.S. leaders to take action on what they describe as an escalating campaign of violence against Christians in Nigeria, signing a letter to Congress and the White House calling for concrete diplomatic, military and humanitarian measures. The letter, dated Dec. 19, was addressed to President Trump and bipartisan congressional leadership and signed by players including C.J. Stroud of t…
NFL players urge Trump, Congress to address religious persecution in Nigeria
(RNS) — A group of NFL players sent a letter to Capitol Hill on Friday (Dec. 19), urging U.S. leaders to take steps to curb violence against religious groups in Nigeria, including Christians. “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 …
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NFL Players Urge Washington to Take Additional Action on Violence and Religious Persecution in Nigeria
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