The Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Tampa Bay Rays, and Tampa Bay Lightning have come together to help move a Confederate statue which was at the Tampa courthouse.
Tampa’s three organizations released a statement, explaining the decision to raise money for the endeavor.
A joint statement from the Buccaneers, Lightning and Rays: pic.twitter.com/A825Lj0a1M
— Tampa Bay Buccaneers (@Buccaneers) August 17, 2017
ESPN’s Jenna Laine added that $5,000 has also been donated by former Buccaneers coach Tony Dungy and his wife Lauren.
“Hillsborough County Commissioners had voted 4-2 Wednesday to block public spending to move the statue, which is why these teams stepped up. $140,000 was needed to move the statue,” Laine added.
It’s certainly hard to question the logic here. This is rightfully a controversial issue, especially after what happened in Charlottesville. It’s a smart move for the teams (as well as other private donors) to step up after the county voted against allocating public funds.