FBI investigating hate mail sent to black NFL players

CLEVELAND -- The FBI is investigating hate mail sent to black NFL players and other black men during the past year.\nA memo sent Nov. 18 to all NFL teams by the league's security department said all the threatening letters came from the same person and were postmarked Cleveland; Youngstown, Ohio; and Erie, Pa.\n"The memo went out to head coaches who were asked to share the information with security personnel and players," NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said Thursday. "The memo mentioned only six instances. ... It's an ongoing FBI investigation."\nMore than just football players were targeted.\nSpecial agent Robert Hawk of the FBI's Cleveland office said more than 30 "racially hateful letters" were sent to "high-profile people in their respective communities -- professional athletes, business leaders, civic leaders, community leaders or organizations."\nHawk confirmed that six of the letters were sent to pro athletes.\n"The majority of the letters have been sent to high profile leaders in the communities," he said.\nHawk said the contents of the letter "complain about the relationships between black men and white females." Hawk also said the letters direct black males to end relationships with white women "or they're going to be castrated, shot or set on fire."\nIn Columbus, Ohio, a police report said the mother of suspended Ohio State tailback Maurice Clarett received a racially charged death threat addressed to her son.\nMichelle Clarett received the letter, which had no return address, at her home on Oct. 2. The typed message was from "OSU cheerleaders" and said that "black men should stay away from white women." It included other racial remarks and ended with a message that the writer will "kill and bomb the place."\nHawk was unsure if Clarett had received the same letter.