Controversial ex-NFL star Antonio Brown launches fundraiser after New Orleans terror attack
Antonio Brown hopes to raise $100,000 for the 15 families who lost loved ones in Wednesday’s terrorist attack in New Orleans.
“This has nothing to do with me and everything to do with helping the families who lost their loved ones in New Orleans,” Brown said. post on the fundraiser web page. “I will be working with GoFundMe to ensure the dollars raised are distributed to the fifteen families who lost their loved ones on January 1st. Prayers.”
The fundraiser was still in its infancy Thursday morning, having collected nearly $3,000 in donations through 80 separate donations, including one $500 entry. It is unclear whether the controversial recipient made any personal donations and he did not immediately respond to DailyMail.com’s request for more information.
Brown was declared bankrupt in May, but has since boasted that he “had money” and was enjoying the good life, despite his ongoing Chapter 11 proceedings.
The victims in New Orleans occurred when Shamsud-Din Jabbar, a 42-year-old American citizen born and raised in Texas, drove his vehicle into a crowd of partygoers in the famed French Quarter early on New Year’s Day. In addition to the deaths, more than thirty people were injured. Jabbar was killed during a shootout with police after the attack at about 3:15 a.m. along Bourbon Street near Canal Street, the FBI said.
FBI agents look at the scene where people were killed by a man driving a truck during a terrorist attack
Brown declared bankruptcy in May but boasted that he “had money” and was enjoying the good life despite his ongoing Chapter 11 proceedings. It is unclear how much he donated
It’s understood Brown has faced financial and legal troubles since his dramatic departure from the NFL three years ago.
Luckily, for any squeamish donors, GoFundMe has placed a “donation protected” label on the page, which “guarantees a full refund in the rare event that something goes wrong.”
Seven victims have now been identified among the 15 innocent people killed in the horrific terror attack in New Orleans.
A former college football star, high school student, father of two and young mother are among the 15 victims who were tragically killed when Jabbar deliberately struck pedestrians with an ISIS flag hanging from his car.
Tiger Bech, 28, Ni’kyra Cheyenne Dedeaux, 18, Reggie Hunter, 37, Nicole Perez, 27, Matthew Tenedorio, Kareem Badawi and Hubert Gauthreaux, 21, were killed in the senseless attack in the early hours of New Year’s Day in the French Quarter .
The College Football Playoff quarterfinal at the Sugar Bowl between Georgia and Notre Dame was postponed a day because of the attack.
The game, originally scheduled for Wednesday at 7:45 PM CST in the 70,000-seat Superdome, was postponed to Thursday at 3 PM. The winner will advance to the Jan. 9 Orange Bowl against Penn State.
“Public safety is of the utmost importance,” Sugar Bowl CEO Jeff Hundley said during a media conference alongside federal, state and local officials, including Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry and New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell. “All parties agree that it is in the best interests of everyone and public safety that we postpone the game.”
Hubert Gauthreaux’s family frantically shared messages on social media that he missed in the aftermath of the attack, before revealing he was found dead in a hospital
Ni’kyra Cheyenne Dedeaux, 18, also lost her life in the attack
Reggie Hunter, 37, (left). Nicole Perez, 27, (right)
Tiger Bech, 28, of Lafayette, Louisiana, died in the terrorist attack in New Orleans on Wednesday
Shamsud Din Jabbar, 42, drove a white Ford SUV into pedestrians driving in New Orleans’ French Quarter around 3:15 a.m. local time on Wednesday
The decision to postpone the match meant that many traveling fans with tickets would not be able to attend. Online ticket prices dropped to less than $25 in some cases as fans with plans to leave Thursday tried to unload them.
“We can’t get any new flights,” said Lisa Borrelli, a 34-year-old Philadelphia resident who came to New Orleans with her fiancé, a 2011 Notre Dame graduate.
Postponing the match “was absolutely the right decision,” she said. “I understand completely.”
She said they paid more than $250 per ticket and hadn’t bothered to offer them for resale yet because the prices were so low.
“Of course we’re disappointed to miss it and lose so much money on it, but in the end it doesn’t matter,” Borrelli said. “We’re fortunate that we’re doing well.”
U.S. Rep. Troy Carter, D-La., said the decision to postpone the game “was not made lightly.”
“It was done with one thing in mind: public safety – ensuring that the citizens and visitors of this great city, not just for this event, but for any event you go to in Louisiana, will be safe,” said Carter. added.