Baseball and football legend Bo Jackson has revealed himself to be the anonymous donor who paid for the funerals of the Robb Elementary School shooting in Uvalde, Texas.
Three days after the shooting, according to the Associated Press, Jackson and an unnamed associate took a flight to the city of Uvalde. Jackson gave the relatives of the victims a check for $170,000 and promised to cover all funeral costs.
“I don’t know if it’s because I’m getting old,” Jackson told the Associated Press. “It’s just not right for parents to bury their kids — it’s just not right.”
Jackson played football for the Los Angeles Rangers and baseball for the Kansas City Royals at the same time in the late 1980s and early 1990s before a hip injury curtailed his baseball career and ended his football career.
The Alabama native has no connection to the state. But, he told Pro Football Talk that he didn’t want any attention related to the donation.
After the news broke on May 24, he tweeted a plea for Americans to “stop all the nonsense.”
“Please pray for all victims. If you hear something, say something. We aren’t supposed to bury our children. I’m praying for all of the families around the country who have lost loved ones to senseless shootings. This cannot continue,” Jackson said.
America…let’s please stop all the nonsense. Please pray for all victims. If you hear something, say something. We aren’t supposed to bury our children. I’m praying for all of the families around the country who have lost loved ones to senseless shootings. This cannot continue.
— Bo Jackson (@BoJackson) May 25, 2022
Jackson paid great attention to the news of the tragedy, especially how the funerals were covered. He said, “I know every family there probably works their butts off just to do what they do. The last thing they needed was to shell out thousands of dollars for something that never should have happened.”
Jackson claimed to have been through Uvalde frequently, which gave him a special connection to the city. He also said that even after not having gotten to know anyone there, Uvalde remained in his memory.
He said the place “touched” him. Jackson and his companion avoided any media attention while at Uvalde by maintaining a low profile.
More details of this story from Daily Wire:
Jackson presented the donation to Texas Governor Greg Abbott, who “quickly directed to cover funeral costs” to a nonprofit helping with Uvalde relief efforts, a spokesperson from the governor’s office said.
During a May 27 news conference about the state’s aid given to the victims, Abbott first announced Jackson’s charity as an anonymous donation.
“The true spirit of our nation is Americans lifting up one another in times of need and hardship,” Abbott said. “In a truly selfless act, Bo covered all funeral expenses for the victims’ families so they would have one less thing to worry about as they grieved.”
The governor kept the gift anonymous until Jackson publicly spoke it about this week.
Jackson noted to the Associated Press that mass shootings in the country are happening regularly, and the last thing anyone wants to hear is there’s an active shooter in another school. However, he didn’t want to turn away from his donation.
“I was just trying to put a little sunshine in someone’s cloud,” Jackson said. “A a very dark cloud.”
Jackson has previously given to humanitarian causes. According to The Associated Press, he donated money to his native Alabama when more than 60 tornadoes tore across the state, killing approximately 250.
Sources: DailyWire, The Associated Press, Pro Football Talk