Boldin, 3 other NFLers write op-ed pushing for U.S. criminal justice reform

A quartet of veteran NFL players are continuing their efforts for change in the political world.

In an op-ed written for CNN, Anquan Boldin, Malcolm Jenkins, Glover Quin, and Johnson Bademosi outlined the need for criminal justice reform in the United States.

The group has made multiple trips to Washington this year to discuss those very issues and explore ways to address the relationship between minority communities and police.

Tuesday's piece calls for a reduction of prison populations and improved rehabilitation both during and after time served. Referencing the story of Evans Ray, a barber who was initially sentenced to life in prison for arranging a drug sale, the players implored Attorney General Jeff Sessions and the Trump administration to avoid a war on drugs.

"We met Ray during a recent visit to Washington, D.C.," the players wrote. "We also met Norman Brown, Kenneth Harvey and Derrick Timmons, all gentlemen with similarly profound and heartbreaking stories of how the so-called war on drugs has failed all of us. It is a war Mr. Sessions and the current administration wish to restart. It is a war most of the rest of the country would like to end. So why does Mr. Sessions want to take us backward?"

The players go on to explain that they believe the United States' justice system is broken. For as long as it may take, they're ready to use their platform to help address any and all issues on that front.

"We are in this for the long haul. We know these problems won't be solved in a few weeks or months, but we are committed to using our voices to do whatever we can to truly make our neighborhoods safer. We hope members of Congress will join us and that the Trump administration, Mr. Sessions in particular, will think twice about reviving a war on drugs that no one can win."