Bo Jackson, who is a legendary two-sport athlete and was one of the most marketable athletes in the country in the 1980s and 90s, has revealed himself as one of the anonymous donors who paid for funerals of Uvalde, Texas school shooting victims.

“I don’t know if it’s because I’m getting old,” said Jackson, a father of 3 and a grandfather as he nears 60 told the Associated Press. “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.”

Jackson and a close friend flew to Uvalde and met with Gov. Greg Abbott and presented a check for $170,000 with an offer to pay for all funeral expenses.

Even before the shooting, Jackson had personal connection to the city he’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’s ranch on hunting trips.

While it hasn’t been a secret, Jackson hasn’t promoted the donation or previously 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.”

Keith Farner

A former newspaper veteran, Keith Farner is a news manager for Saturday Down South.