Athletes should speak out on social issues, says NFL player Benjamin Watson

NFL player Benjamin Watson has encouraged athletes to be more vocal about social issues.

According to the Journal Gazette, the 35-year-old Baltimore Ravens tight end spoke for nearly 40 minutes during the Indiana Fellowship of Christian Athletes Night of Hope event in Fort Wayne earlier this month.

"As believers (in God), we have an answer the world does not," Watson said to the crowd. "One of the biggest divides we have is the difference in experiences. We have to address our loyalties. Our loyalty is not to our grandparents, the traditions, our volleyball team, our friends; as believers, our loyalty is to Scripture."

Watson believes that the racial tensions and frictions the nation is experiencing are issues of the heart. He also said that anything considered as racial problem is really a sin problem. He insisted that people should focus more on their unity as children of God rather than focusing on earthly differences.

The NFL star called to mind the Missouri grand jury decision on the shooting of Michael Brown in Missouri by a white officer. Brown's death in 2014 was part of a series of deaths among black people killed by white law enforcement officers. Watson wrote down his sentiments and shared this on Facebook, for which he has gained national attention. His Facebook post received more than 850,000 likes.

"I remember them deciding not to indict the officer and feeling so much emotion," he shared. "What I do sometimes is write. I (wrote) about being frustrated and sad, about being hopeful because I see the progress made in this country on race."

In 2015, Watson released his book "Under Our Skin: Getting Real About Race--And Getting Free From the Fears and Frustrations That Divide Us." He also talked about racism and Christian faith at Convocation for Christian higher education institution Liberty University in Virginia.