Before Tuesday, 1.4 million convicted felons had permanently lost their voting rights in Florida. Thanks in part to the efforts of the Players Coalition, those rights have been restored.
A Constitutional amendment prevailed on the ballot, changing a law that stripped those rights for life. Only Kentucky and Virginia continue to impose a lifetime voting ban.
Former NFL players Anquan Boldin and Warrick Dunn led the efforts, along with Grant Hill and Stan Van Gundy.
“I believe in second chances, and if we want people to be productive citizens, have good jobs, get fair housing, get educated, why not allow them the right to vote?” Boldin recently said.
And that’s an example of the things that athletes can do to make a difference, separate and apart from protests that curiously have stopped being a lightning rod for controversy, even though those protests still continue.