Seth Udinski, FISM News
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This past week, sources revealed that former NFL and MLB star Bo Jackson had helped cover the funeral costs for the parents of all 19 children who were horrifically murdered in the Ulvade school shooting back in May.
Bo Jackson helped pay for the funerals of 19 children and two teachers killed in the Uvalde school massacre:https://t.co/CceAPAmwd7
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) July 22, 2022
The 60-year old father and grandfather spoke in an interview with the Associated Press soon after, saying, “I don’t know if it’s because I’m getting old. It’s just not right for parents to bury their kids. It’s just not right. 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.”
Reports reveal that Jackson, along with an anonymous friend, met with Texas governor Greg Abbot several days after the shooting and donated $170,000, which was enough to cover all the funeral costs for all the families. Jackson, a humble man both during his playing days and now, never intended for his name to be publicly associated with the gift. He said, “We didn’t want media. No one knew we were there.”
The day of the shooting, Jackson showed how much the death of the innocent students at Robb Elementary affected him with a heartfelt message on Twitter.
“America … let’s please stop all the nonsense,” Jackson said. “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.”
Clearly an all-star off the field, Jackson was also a once-in-a-generation athlete on the field during his prime years in the late 1980s and early 1990s. He did what very few athletes before or since have ever accomplished – excelling in multiple professional sports simultaneously. He was a star both in the NFL as a powerful downhill running back for the Oakland Raiders and in Major League Baseball as a power-hitting outfielder for the Kansas City Royals and the Chicago White Sox.
Sadly, Jackson’s career in both sports was cut short due to a brutal hip injury in the NFL in a playoff game in 1991. He stayed in the Major Leagues for several years after but was never the same player, finally calling it quits in 1994.