Activist NFL players seeking cancer-awareness style month

ByABC News
September 21, 2017, 1:36 AM

— -- A group of four players sent the NFL a memo in August requesting league support and asking for a month to be dedicated to social activism soon after commissioner Roger Goodell reportedly talked to several players regarding their game-day activism efforts.

According to Yahoo! Sports, Seattle Seahawks defensive end Michael Bennett, Philadelphia Eagles safety Malcolm Jenkins and receiver Torrey Smith, and former Arizona Cardinals wideout Anquan Boldin co-authored the 2,740-word document intended to push the NFL into efforts "similarly to what the league already implements for breast cancer awareness, honoring military, etc."

The letter was obtained by Yahoo! Sports and originally published on Wednesday night.

"We would like November to serve as a month of Unity for individual teams to engage and impact the community in their market," the memo says.

The letter followed closely after Goodell spoke directly with several players who have protested on game day before the regular season kicked off, the Yahoo! report said, citing two sources.

"For us, support means: bear all or part of the weight of; hold up; give assistance to, especially financially; enable to function or act. We need support, collaboration and partnerships to achieve our goal of strengthening the community," the letter said.

The league declined to comment when asked about the memo, Yahoo! Sports reported.?Bennett, Jenkins, Smith and Boldin either didn't return requests for comment to Yahoo! or declined to discuss it, citing an agreement to keep talks private, according to the website.

Boldin retired in late August, two weeks after signing a one-year deal with the Buffalo Bills. He said in a statement he felt "drawn to make the larger fight for human rights a priority. My life's purpose is bigger than football."

Earlier this month, the NFL affirmed it had no plans to investigate Bennett's behavior during an incident in which he was detained and handcuffed by police in Las Vegas two weeks ago.?

The league was responding to a letter Goodell from the president of the Las Vegas Police Protective Association, the union that represents the police in that city. In the letter, the union alleged that Bennett made false accusations against Las Vegas police and asked the league to "conduct an investigation, and take appropriate action."

Bennett, who accused the Las Vegas police of unfairly targeting him and pointing a gun at his head, sat on the bench during the national anthem for a Seahawks preseason game on Aug. 13 and said at the time, "I can't stand right now. I'm not going to be standing until I see the equality and freedom."