Athletes around the country continue to show deference and support to the victims and families of the deadly shooting at the Aurora, Colorado. Most recently, Carolina Panthers receiver Steve Smith said Thursday he donated $100,000 to the victims that the city will distribute Smith’s donation to help victims cover their medical expenses.
“As a father and husband I cannot imagine the pain and suffering the victims are going through,” a statement from Smith read on ProFootballtalk.com. “My family’s hearts and prayers are extended to theirs, and I hope this contribution might assist in paying some of the medical bills that will help allow these families to move forward in this tragic circumstance.”
The shooting, which occurred at a midnight premiere of the Batman film “The Dark Knight Rises,” killed 12 and left 58 injured.
“Hopefully, this helps a little bit,” Smith said. “From one NFL city to another, God bless.”
Many of Denver Broncos and other athletes around the country have visited the hospitals to try to lend some cheer in a tragic situation. Thursday, Colorado Rockies manager Jim Tracy and 11 players of the Major League Baseball team visited five of the victims on Thursday at the University of Colorado Hospital.
Four of the five patients the team visited remain in critical condition, including 22-year-old Farrah Soudani, who is in intensive care.
“It brought tears to her eyes,” Mike White, Soudani’s boyfriend, told the Denver Post. “They cheered her up. They told her to stay strong. …
“We just want to say thanks, not just to the Rockies, but to everybody who has given the victims so much love and support.”
The Rockies’ contingent also toured the emergency room and thanked doctors and nurses that helped in the aftermath of the shooting.
The Rockies arrived in Denver at roughly 3 a.m. Thursday morning after playing in Arizona. A notice was posted on the clubhouse message board asking for volunteers from the team to meet with victims.
“It was a simple matter of a memo on the board and this was the result,” Tracy told the Post. “We would have had a heck of a lot larger group — heck, we might have had the whole team — but because we were going to be in the ICU, we had to limit our numbers.
“I think this shows you what kind of character these guys on our team have, and how much they care about the community.”
