{"id":21916,"date":"2022-07-22T04:28:04","date_gmt":"2022-07-22T04:28:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/bo-jackson-helped-share-for-uvalde-school-massacre-victims-funerals\/"},"modified":"2022-07-22T04:28:04","modified_gmt":"2022-07-22T04:28:04","slug":"bo-jackson-helped-share-for-uvalde-school-massacre-victims-funerals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/bo-jackson-helped-share-for-uvalde-school-massacre-victims-funerals\/","title":{"rendered":"Bo Jackson helped share for Uvalde school massacre victims&#8217; funerals"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<aside class=\"single__inline-module alignleft\">\n<\/aside>\n<p>AUSTIN, Texas \u2014 Former sports superstar Bo Jackson helped share for the funerals of the 19 children and two teachers killed in the Uvalde school massacre in May, revealing himself as one of the previously anonymous donors who covered costs for families after one of the deadliest classroom shootings in US history.<\/p>\n<p>Jackson, whose rare success in both the NFL and Major League Baseball made him one of the greatest and most marketable athletes of the 1980s and 1990s, told The Associated Press on Wednesday that he felt compelled to support the victims&#8217; families after the loss of so many children.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don&#8217;t know if it&#8217;s because I&#8217;m getting old,\u201d said Jackson, a father of three and a grandfather as he nears 60. \u201cIt&#8217;s just not right for parents to bury their kids.  It&#8217;s just not right.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI know every family there probably works their butts off just to do what they do.  \u2026 The last thing they needed was to shell out thousands of dollars for something that never should have happened.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Jackson said he felt a personal connection to the city he&#8217;s driven through many times.  Uvalde has been a regular stop for a bite to eat or groceries before a long drive farther west to visit a friend&#8217;s ranch on hunting trips.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><figcaption>Bo Jackson flew to Uvalde, Texas, in the wake of May&#8217;s mass shooting at Robb Elementary School and presented a check for $170,000 and offered to pay for all funeral expenses of the victims.<\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>It was his familiarity with the feel of Uvalde&#8217;s Main Street, leafy town square and the people he&#8217;d met on those stops that touched his heart when the news broke on May 24th of the shooting at Robb Elementary.  Law enforcement has been heavily for taking more than an hour to enter the classroom where the 18-year-old gunman carried out the attack, and a Texas House investigative report laid blame on the school district, saying a lax safety culture, spotty alert system and unlocked doors also contributed.<\/p>\n<p>Three days later, Jackson and a close friend flew to Uvalde, briefly met with Gov.  Greg Abbott and presented a check for $170,000 with an offer to pay for all funeral expenses.<\/p>\n<p>Abbott announced it as an anonymous donation during a May 27 news conference about aid the state was giving victims.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe didn&#8217;t want media,\u201d he said.  \u201cNo one knew we were there.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>And though Jackson suggested he hasn&#8217;t kept it a secret, he hadn&#8217;t spoken publicly about what moved him to make the trip to Uvalde and the donation until this week.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cUvalde is a town that sticks in your mind.  Just the name,\u201d Jackson said.  \u201cI don&#8217;t know a soul there.  It just touched me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Jackson declined to name the friend who went with him and also contributed to the donation.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/07\/13039348k.jpg?resize=1024%2C682&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"A Democratic staff member sets up a visual aid with pictures of the victims from the mass shooting at Robb Elementary School during the House Judiciary Committee's business meeting on HR1808, the Assault Weapons Ban, on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, on July 20.\" class=\"wp-image-23156677\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/07\/13039348k.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1535 1536w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/07\/13039348k.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all 1024w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/07\/13039348k.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=512 512w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\"\/><figcaption>A Democratic staff member sets up a visual aid with pictures of the victims from the mass shooting at Robb Elementary School during the House Judiciary Committee&#8217;s business meeting on HR1808, the Assault Weapons Ban, on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, on July 20.<\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">SHAWN THEW\/EPA-EFE\/Shutterstock<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Other fundraising efforts have since raised millions to assist families, and local funeral homes said they wouldn&#8217;t charge families for services.  But Jackson&#8217;s donation was an early point of light for the grieving families.<\/p>\n<p>Abbott&#8217;s office said Jackson&#8217;s money was \u201cquickly directed to cover funeral costs\u201d through OneStar, a nonprofit created to further volunteerism and community service in Texas, including Uvalde relief efforts.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe true spirit of our nation is Americans lifting up one another in times of need and hardship,\u201d Abbott said.  \u201cIn a truly selfless act, Bo covered all funeral expenses for the victims&#8217; families so they would have one less thing to worry about as they grieved.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Jackson said he followed news coverage of the funerals, but he declined to say if he has been in direct contact with any of the families.<\/p>\n<p>The day of the shooting, <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/BoJackson\/status\/1529267191207673856?s=20&amp;t=qA48kUxSkiYobKPVCr6syA\" target=\"_blank\">Jackson tweeted<\/a>, \u201cAmerica \u2026 let&#8217;s please stop all the nonsense.  Please pray for all victims.  If you hear something, say something.  We aren&#8217;t supposed to bury our children.  I&#8217;m praying for all of the families around the country who have lost loved ones to senseless shootings.  This cannot continue.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>When asked to elaborate on the \u201cThis cannot continue,\u201d though, Jackson declined, saying only that he wrote what he meant.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don&#8217;t want to turn this into anything (but) what it is.  I was just trying (with the donation) to put a little sunshine in someone&#8217;s cloud, a very dark cloud,\u201d Jackson said.<\/p>\n<p>But he also noted the regularity of mass shootings in the country.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe last thing you want to hear is there&#8217;s an active shooter in your child&#8217;s school,\u201d he said.  \u201cIt&#8217;s happening everywhere now.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Uvalde wasn&#8217;t Jackson&#8217;s first large-scale act of philanthropy.  He hosts an annual bike ride in his home state of Alabama to raise money for disaster relief funds, an effort started after tornadoes killed nearly 250 people.  The Uvalde donation was his first in response to a mass shooting.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt&#8217;s the children.  \u2026 It&#8217;s the children.  \u2026 It&#8217;s the children,\u201d Jackson said, pausing before each repetition to gather himself.  \u201cIf it doesn&#8217;t bother you, something&#8217;s wrong with you.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>    .<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>AUSTIN, Texas \u2014 Former sports superstar Bo Jackson helped share for the funerals of the 19 children and two teachers killed in the Uvalde school massacre in May, revealing himself as one of the previously anonymous donors who covered costs for families after one of the deadliest classroom shootings in US history. Jackson, whose rare &hellip;<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"> <a class=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/bo-jackson-helped-share-for-uvalde-school-massacre-victims-funerals\/\"> <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Bo Jackson helped share for Uvalde school massacre victims&#8217; funerals<\/span> Read More &raquo;<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","spay_email":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true},"categories":[6],"tags":[9977,423,307,9978],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":21777,"url":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/bo-jackson-helped-pay-for-funerals-of-19-children-and-2-teachers-killed-in-school-massacre-at-uvalde-texas\/","url_meta":{"origin":21916,"position":0},"title":"Bo Jackson helped pay for funerals of 19 children and 2 teachers killed in school massacre at Uvalde, Texas","date":"July 22, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"AUSTIN, Texas -- Former sports superstar Bo Jackson helped pay for the funerals of the 19 children and two teachers killed in the Uvalde school massacre in May, revealing himself as one of the previously anonymous donors who covered costs for families after one of the deadliest classroom shootings in\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Sports&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":22322,"url":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/touched-by-uvalde-bo-jackson-donated-to-pay-for-funerals\/","url_meta":{"origin":21916,"position":1},"title":"Touched by Uvalde, Bo Jackson donated to pay for funerals","date":"July 22, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"1 of 2FILE - Former Chicago White Sox great Bo Jackson waves to the crowd before throwing the ceremonial first pitch before the White Sox and Kansas City Royals season opening baseball game Monday, April 1, 2013, in Chicago. Jackson helped pay for the funerals of the 19 children and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Sports&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":22053,"url":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/bo-jackson-helped-cover-funeral-costs-for-uvalde-school-shooting-victims\/","url_meta":{"origin":21916,"position":2},"title":"Bo Jackson helped cover funeral costs for Uvalde school shooting victims","date":"July 22, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Former Raiders and MLB star Bo Jackson revealed this week that he had donated to help cover funeral costs for the victims of the mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, earlier this year.Jackson, who doesn't have a real connection to the city other than having driven through\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Sports&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":21910,"url":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/bo-jackson-donated-170000-to-pay-for-funerals-of-uvalde-victims\/","url_meta":{"origin":21916,"position":3},"title":"Bo Jackson donated $170,000 to pay for funerals of Uvalde victims","date":"July 22, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"\r \r \r Getty Images Texas Gov. Greg Abbott announced shortly after the Uvalde school massacre in May that an anonymous donor was paying for the funerals of the 19 children and two teachers. Bo Jackson was the man behind the money, it was revealed this week, flying to Uvalde\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Sports&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"Seattle Mariners v Chicago White Sox","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/profootballtalk.nbcsports.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/25\/2022\/07\/GettyImages-1391264518-e1658454686280.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":22172,"url":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/former-mlb-nfl-star-bo-jackson-reveals-he-helped-pay-for-funerals-of-uvalde-shooting-victims\/","url_meta":{"origin":21916,"position":4},"title":"Former MLB, NFL star Bo Jackson reveals he helped pay for funerals of Uvalde shooting victims","date":"July 22, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Getty Images Bo Jackson helped pay for the funerals of the 21 people killed in the Uvalde, Texas mass shooting in May, the former MLB and NFL star told the Associated Press. His donation was previously anonymous. Shortly after the tragedy, Jackson flew into town with a close friend --\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Sports&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"Bo Jackson","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sportshub.cbsistatic.com\/i\/r\/2022\/07\/22\/af35efb5-50de-4695-ae8b-a16635a3ddf5\/thumbnail\/770x433\/90c568fb973d865c007b19240eed27c2\/gettyimages-177606131-4.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":21904,"url":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/raiders-legend-bo-jackson-says-he-helped-pay-for-uvalde-victims-funerals-news-scores-highlights-stats-and-rumors\/","url_meta":{"origin":21916,"position":5},"title":"Raiders Legend Bo Jackson Says He Helped Pay for Uvalde Victims&#8217; Funerals |  News, Scores, Highlights, Stats, and Rumors","date":"July 22, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Stacy Revere\/Getty ImagesFormer NFL Pro Bowler and MLB All-Star Bo Jackson was among the donors who helped pay for the funerals of the 19 children and two teachers who were killed in May's mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in Texas.\"I don't know if it's because I'm getting old,\" Jackson\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Sports&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/07\/GettyImages-178405984.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=1024","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21916"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=21916"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21916\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=21916"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=21916"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=21916"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}