Chris Archer and Steve Nelson are among two dozen former or current professional athletes with ties to Pittsburgh that are supporting the Players Coalition’s effort to end qualified immunity for police officers and government officials.

The Players Coalition gathered more than 1,400 signatures from athletes representing the NFL, NBA and MLB in a letter the group submitted to Congress on Wednesday seeking passage of the Amash-Pressley Bill.

The bill, named after U.S. Reps Justin Amash and Ayanna Pressley, seeks to eliminate the doctrine that shields police officers and other public officials from civil lawsuits. It was introduced in response to the killing of George Floyd at the hands of four Minneapolis police officers.

Among Pirates players that attached their signatures to the Players Coalition letter are Archer, Cole Tucker, Ke’Bryan Hayes, Keone Kela and Jason Martin, plus former Pirates players Andrew McCutchen and Josh Harrison.

Nelson is the only veteran Steelers player who signed the letter, although rookie Kevin Dotson and first-year player JT Jones provided signatures. Former Steelers signing the letter include Kelvin Beachum, Kris Brown, Najeh Davenport, Josh Dobbs, Roger Duffy, James Farrior, Liffort Hobley, Chris Hubbard, Corey Ivy, Roy Jefferson, Will Johnson, Arthur Moats, Lance Moore, Patrick Morris, Roosevelt Nix, Al Woods and Will Wolford.

The letter also was signed by Western Pennsylvania natives Bruce Clark, Will Clarke, Tommie Campbell, Jim Kelly, Lafayette Pitts, Brandon Short, Ray Ventrone and Chase Winovich. Others include former Penn State football players Keith Goganious, Wally Richardson and Blair Thomas, and former Pitt player Nick Goings.

Among the prominent athletes and coaches to sign the letter are quarterbacks Tom Brady and Drew Brees, and NBA coaches Steve Kerr and Gregg Popovich.

“We are tired of conversations around police accountability that go nowhere, and we have engaged in too many ‘listening sessions’ where we discuss whether there is a problem of police violence in this country,” the Players Coalition wrote in its letter. “There is a problem.”

The Players Coalition was founded in 2017 by NFL players Anquan Boldin and Malcolm Jenkins to end social injustices and racial inequality. It is governed by a board of 12 voting members.

The coalition’s letter mentioned Floyd’s death in Minneapolis and the recent use of tear gas on peaceful protesters outside the White House as reasons to end qualified immunity.

“The time for debate about the unchecked authority of the police is over,” the letter stated. “It is now time for change.”

The bill also is known as the Ending Qualified Immunity Act. Under qualified immunity, police officers and government officials can face civil charges only if their actions clearly violate constitutional rights based on a prior identical case.

Qualified immunity originated from a 1967 Supreme Court ruling and a 1982 ruling reinforced that decision.

“When police officers kill an unarmed man, when they beat a woman, or when they shoot a child, the people of this country must have a way to hold them accountable in a court of law,” the Players Coalition wrote. “And officers must know that if they act in such a manner, there will be repercussions.”

On May 8, the Players Coalition sent a letter to U.S. Attorney General William Barr and FBI director Christopher Wray that called for a federal investigation into the shooting death of Ahmaud Arbery in Georgia.

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