NFL Responds to Players' Letter Asking Roger Goodell to Support Activism Efforts

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell and the rest of the league plan to continue working with players on their social activism efforts.  

Josina Anderson of ESPN provided the NFL's response to the letter from four players regarding racial equality and criminal justice reform:

The response does not address the call for November to be a month of Unity, detailed in the players' letter, via Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports.

Torrey Smith and Malcolm Jenkins of the Philadelphia Eagles, Seattle Seahawks star Michael Bennett and the recently retired Anquan Boldin created the memo, which was sent to Goodell and executive vice president Troy Vincent.

The message detailed steps taken by players to improve criminal justice reform beyond kneeling during the national anthem. It noted more than 40 players have gotten involved by participating in initiatives such as visiting Capitol Hill and meeting with legislators at the national, state and local level.

The call to action was for league-wide support of these efforts and the creation of a month of awareness in November, similar to Breast Cancer Awareness month.

Although the response noted Goodell's visit to see Jenkins in Philadelphia and that he was "grateful" for the work being done, there was no specific message of support given to the players.