Bo Jackson helped pay for the funerals of the 19 children and two teachers killed in the Uvalde school massacre in May as he revealed himself as one of the previously anonymous donors who covered costs for families after one of the deadliest classroom shootings in U.S. history.
Jackson told the Associated Press he delivered a $170,000 check to Texas Gov. Greg Abbott to help cover the funeral costs.
“I don’t know if it’s because I’m getting old,” said Jackson, a father of three and a grandfather as he nears 60. “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.”
The former Heisman Trophy winner, who doesn’t know anybody in Uvalde, stated did not want media attention or for anybody to know he was in town.
“We didn’t want media,” he said. “No one knew we were there.”
And though Jackson suggested he hasn’t kept it a secret, he hadn’t spoken publicly about what moved him to make the trip to Uvalde and the donation until this week.
“Uvalde is a town that sticks in your mind. Just the name,” Jackson said. “I don’t know a soul there. It just touched me.”
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Jackson spent eight seasons in the MLB, playing for the Kansas City Royals, Chicago White Sox and California Angels. He was one of the few successful multi-sport athletes, as he also played four seasons in the NFL with the Oakland Raiders.