(LifeSiteNews) — In an era where professional athletes have too often succumbed to amplifying woke ideology and promoting leftist causes, it is refreshing to see NFL players channel their religious beliefs and courageously stand up for initiatives that make a difference for Christ.
Earlier this week 60 high-profile current and former NFL players and coaches co-signed a letter calling on leaders in Washington, D.C. – including President Donald Trump and House Speaker Mike Johnson – demanding urgent U.S. intervention in Nigeria, where Christians have been targeted by radical Islamists.
The letter highlights the humanitarian crisis taking place in the country as thousands of kidnappings and murders of Christians have been increasing, most especially in recent months when school children were taken from a Catholic school in Papiri. The statement stands as a bold testament to the athletes’ willingness to use their platform to defend innocent life.
Former NFL tight end Benjamin Watson and Hall of Fame coach Tony Dungy have added their names to the letter. Both have fearlessly defended the sanctity of life off of the playing field.
Watson is a Super Bowl champion who has spoken at the March for Life on multiple occasions, including addresses in 2017, 2021, and 2024. In 2018, he donated an ultrasound machine to Maryland’s Severna Park Pregnancy Clinic. In 2020, he released a pro-life documentary with film maker Jason Jones titled “Divided Hearts of America.” Watson’s involvement in the Nigeria letter only amplifies his already outstanding legacy.
Joining Watson is Dungy, a Hall of Fame head coach and former player who became the NFL’s first Black coach to win a Super Bowl. Dungy routinely shares Bible verses on social media and has never missed an opportunity to engage in activism for innocent life. During her campaign for president, Vice President Kamala Harris claimed that Christians’ needn’t abandon their faith to support abortion. Dungy shot back on X by saying: “Exactly what ‘faith’ are you talking about when you say you don’t have to abandon it to support abortion?” He then pointed to Genesis 1:26, Jeremiah 1:5, and Luke 18:20 to debunk Harris’ absurd claim that being a follower of Christ is compatible with killing preborn babies.
Watson and Dungy aren’t alone in calling on leaders to take action in Nigeria. The letter boasts signatures from Steve Stenstrom (president of Sports Spectrum), Kirk Cousins of the Atlanta Falcons, Jameis Winston of the New York Giants, Brock Purdy of the San Francisco 49ers, C.J. Stroud of the Houston Texans, and TreVeyon Henderson of the New England Patriots.
The players don’t mince words in their statement. Among other things, they call upon the U.S. government to partner with Nigerian officials to disrupt ethnic Fulani militias attacking citizens. They also urge U.S. military aid to be given only if “clear, measurable benchmarks” like the protection of villages and houses of worship are met. Moreover, they seek expanded humanitarian aid as well as sanctions and stricter oversight of the country’s religious freedom violations.
“Despite years of escalating attacks, the Nigerian Army and security services have been ineffective,” the letter rightly notes. “The NFL is also full of many players who come from Nigerian families. This wonderful country is a strategically important democracy and a nation of extraordinary beauty, rich culture, and resilient people. Yet for years, Nigerians of all faiths have endured relentless attacks, kidnappings, and killings by extremist groups and criminal networks exploiting ethnic and religious divides.”
The letter comes as international pressure on Nigerian leadership continues to grow. Last month, U.S. Ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz described what is taking place as “genocide wearing the mask of chaos.” President Trump meanwhile has threatened to “wipe out” Islamic terrorists in the country. Even unexpected voices like atheist comedian Bill Maher decried the slaughter on his HBO show, noting that it is “so much more of a genocide attempt than what is going on in Gaza.”
A 2025 Global Christian Relief (GCR) Red List report confirms these grim assessments. The group found that Nigeria is the most dangerous place for Christians in the world. To that point, from 2009 to 2022, over 50,000 Christians were killed in Nigeria, per an Open Doors study. A separate report found that more than 8,000 Nigerian Christians were killed and thousands more were abducted in 2023, making it the bloodiest year on record for Islamic attacks against Christians in the country.
Findings published by the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) highlight many of the state-sponsored attacks on Christians in Nigeria. In its 2025 study, the USCIRF urged the U.S. government to designate Nigeria as a “country of particular concern.” It also noted that “the Nigerian government remains slow or, at times, appears unwilling to respond to this violence, creating an environment of impunity for the attackers.”
Benjamin Watson, Tony Dungy, and the rest of the signatories of this letter deserve praise. By standing up for the defenseless Christians in Nigeria, they show themselves to be courageous voices in a world where too many professional athletes cower in fear of the liberal media and woke interest groups. Now the focus turns to Washington, which desperately needs to listen to their letter by implementing their demands to restore accountability and ensure protection for Christians in Nigeria.
