WASHINGTON — The NFL sent head coaches memos before yesterday’s games listing their players who were called for two or more unnecessary roughness penalties since 2008 — yet another step in the league’s effort to cut down on illegal hits.

NFL executive vice president of football operations Ray Anderson sent each coach the names only of his own players who have multiple infractions, league spokesman Greg Aiello said.

Anderson is a member of the league’s competition committee and one of its loudest voices calling for improving player safety. The lists were sent Friday.

“The purpose was to provide an opportunity for the coach to give extra caution to those players to abide by the safety rules,” Aiello wrote in an e-mail to the Associated Press. “It was part of our effort to give fair notice to help players stay within the rules.”

Aiello would not give the total number of players identified in the memos.