An escalation of violence against Christians in Nigeria has pushed the NFL community to take a public stand. On December 19, current and former NFL players, coaches, spouses, and team chaplains signed a letter addressed to the White House and Congress. Through the letter, the group urged U.S. leaders to respond decisively to the humanitarian and religious freedom crisis in Nigeria.

“Religious and ethnic persecution in Nigeria has reached a level that demands immediate, concrete action from the United States,” the letter by Sports Spectrum began with a stark warning about the situation in Nigeria. “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 those responsible are held to account.” 

The letter, dated December 19, was addressed directly to President Donald Trump and bipartisan congressional leadership. Several active NFL players signed it, including star quarterbacks like the San Francisco 49ers’ Brock Purdy.

Houston Texans’ C.J. Stroud, New York Giants’ Jameis Winston, and Atlanta Falcons’ Kirk Cousins. In total, 82 people added their names, representing a wide cross-section of the NFL community.

Former NFL tight end Benjamin Watson played a central role in organising the effort. Watson, who spent 15 years in the league, now serves as the editor-in-chief of Sports Spectrum. It is a publication focused on faith and sports that has existed for more than four decades. Known for his work as a writer, podcaster, and activist, Watson has long used his platform to address issues of faith and social responsibility. This time, his focus is on Nigeria.

As such, the letter also highlighted the personal ties some players have to Nigeria. NFL stars such as Cleveland Browns tight end David Njoku, Chicago Bears wide receiver Rome Odunze, and Carolina Panthers running back Chuba Hubbard come from Nigerian families. So, with help from NGOs, humanitarian organisations, and nonprofits assisting persecuted Christians, the letter compiled a list of seven recommended actions for the U.S. government to take in Nigeria.

Here are the seven actions outlined in the letter:

• Improve intelligence cooperation so U.S. agencies can better work with Nigerian and local officials to disrupt attacks and hold perpetrators from ethnic Fulani militias accountable.
• Condition U.S. military aid and arms transfers on measurable standards, including quicker responses to distress calls, protection of villages and houses of worship, and transparent reporting on security failures or complicity.
• Support local security reforms, especially long-delayed police reforms, to improve accountability and protect vulnerable communities.
• Impose targeted sanctions on Nigerian officials and non-state actors credibly linked to religious violence or obstruction of justice.
• Expand humanitarian aid to assist millions of displaced Nigerians with food, shelter, trauma care, and protection.
• Require quarterly public reports to Congress on religious and ethnic violence, Nigerian government actions, and changes to U.S. assistance.
• Fill the Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom position at the U.S. State Department to help guide strategy and oversight in Nigeria.

The group of NFL players and coaches believes that these steps are critical because Nigeria has become one of the most dangerous places in the world to be a Christian. Human rights organisations have estimated that since 2009, more than 52,000 Christians have been killed in Nigeria. Over 7,000 of those deaths were reported in this year alone. 

More than 19,000 churches have been destroyed, and millions have been forced away from their homes in Nigeria. What’s more alarming is that advocacy groups have reported that Nigeria now accounts for more than 80 percent of Christian deaths worldwide. So, the letter now urges U.S. leaders to take urgent action in Nigeria. 

“We ask you, as leaders of this nation, to use the full weight of your offices to defend the fundamental right to live and worship freely,” the letter further stated. “The lives at stake cannot wait.”

The timing of the letter is also significant. On October 31, 2025, President Trump officially designated Nigeria as a ‘country of particular concern.’ He had also previously stated that the U.S. cannot stand by while atrocities take place in Nigeria and other countries. Now, the letter organized by Benjamin Watson wants to press the government to back those words with more action.

Benjamin Watson urges U.S. leaders to do more for the people of Nigeria 

Despite years of escalating violence, Nigeria’s government has struggled to protect communities from mass atrocities in the country. Meanwhile, the attention that the U.S. government has given to the happenings in Nigeria has also been limited. So, Benjamin Watson believes that sustained pressure is essential now to bring stability to Nigeria. Therefore, using the NFL’s reach, Watson hopes to keep the urgent crisis in Nigeria in focus.

“We came together with the idea to lend our voice in urging the president and Congress to keep pressing them to deliver sanctions, to provide humanitarian aid,” Watson said in an interview with Religious News Service on December 19. “We want to show that we’re amongst the people who care and want to stand up with our brothers and sisters who are suffering in Nigeria.”

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Recent events have only reinforced the urgency of action in Nigeria. Just last month, more than 200 children were kidnapped from a Catholic boarding school in Nigeria. It was a part of a broader pattern of violence against religious communities in the country. And those kidnappings deeply affected Steve Stenstrom, who is a former NFL QB and the president of Sports Spectrum.

“We want to do all we can do, as if it were our own families and our own kids who were at those schools and in those churches and in those villages,” Stenstrom said in an interview with Religious News Service.

Moreover, this letter, signed by dozens of NFL coaches and players, marks a historic moment for Sports Spectrum. While the publication has addressed issues such as racial reconciliation and clean water initiatives in the past, it has never before sent a formal appeal to U.S. political leaders. So, Benjamin Watson hopes the message reaches lawmakers and fans alike. It serves as a reminder that the violence in Nigeria is not just a distant issue; it is a human one.