Bo Jackson pays funeral costs for Uvalde victims' loved ones

Former MLB and NFL star Bo Jackson revealed this week that he helped pay for the funerals of the 19 children and two teachers killed during the school shooting in May at Robb Elementary in Uvalde, Texas.

Jackson and a personal friend flew to Uvalde three days after the shooting and presented a $170,000 check to Texas Gov. Greg Abbott with an offer to pay for all funeral expenses. Jackson told The Associated Press that he felt compelled to support the victims’ families.

“It’s just not right for parents to bury their kids,” he said. “It’s just not right. … The last thing they needed was to shell out thousands of dollars for something that never should have happened.”

Jackson described feeling a personal connection to Uvalde. He said he has stopped in the city many times while on long drives west to visit a friend.

“Uvalde is a town that sticks in your mind. Just the name,” he said. “I don’t know a soul there. It just touched me.”

An All-Star with the Royals in 1989, the 60-year-old Jackson also helps raise money for disaster relief funds in his home state of Alabama by hosting an annual bike ride. He said the Uvalde donation was his first in response to a mass shooting.

“The last thing you want to hear is there’s an active shooter in your child’s school,” Jackson said. “If it doesn’t bother you, something’s wrong with you.”