The Players Coalition Requests Federal Investigation Into Ahmaud Arbery Shooting

Dozens of athletes called on the federal government to investigate Arbery's death

Ahmaud Arbery shooting
Demonstrators protest the shooting death of Ahmaud Arbery at the Glynn County Courthouse on May 8, 2020 in Brunswick, Georgia.
Sean Rayford/Getty Images

The death of Georgian man Ahmaud Arbery on February 23 has caused an uproar around the country, as the two white men involved in the shooting were initially not arrested at the scene. Now, the Players Coalition, a group of athletes who seek to reform the criminal justice system, has called on the federal government to get involved and investigate the shooting, according to the Associated Press.

In a letter to Attorney General William Barr and FBI Director Christopher Wray, the coalition requested that the FBI and the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division take over the investigation, after local police initially chose to not arrest Travis and Greg McMichael in connection to the shooting. The two men were charged with murder and aggravated assault only after a cell phone video of the shooting was leaked this week.

The Players Coalition letter points to the delays by Georgia prosecutors in charging the McMichaels, and it requests a “robust federally led investigation” as it will be “the only way to restore community trust that Mr. Arbery’s death will be fully investigated.” A similar request has been made by the lawyer who represents Arbery’s family. The letter was signed by 64 athletes, including the NFL’s director of football operations Troy Vincent.

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Read the full story at the Associated Press

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