Advertisement

Kudos to Jim Irsay for Donating 10,000 N95 Masks to Indiana

Source - Colts owner Jim Irsay has obtained more than 10,000 N95 masks that he plans to have distributed to medical people, he announced on Twitter on Sunday.

Irsay is donating the masks to the Indiana State Department of Health so that they can be distributed to hospitals most in need. The N95s are respiratory masks used to help protect doctors and nurses working with COVID-19 patients. ...

Irsay's announcement came days after New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft sent his team plane to Shenzhen, China, to pick up 1.2 million N95 masks, which will be distributed in Massachusetts and New York. 

When it comes to charitable giving, I'm a big believer in not keeping score. Everyone should contribute to whichever cause they support in whatever amount they feel they can. As the saying goes, don't give til it hurts; give til it feels good. Be they a family trying to help out their community, a kid setting up a socially distanced lemonade stand, a self-made mogul or a child of inherited wealth. Each should give what they feel is right, and it wouldn't be right to tell another how much that number should be. After all, this is bigger than football.

Advertisement

All I want to do is correct the record. With all due respect to Adam Schefter, Mr. Kraft transported 1.7 million masks back from China, not 1.2 million. The first 1.4 million went to Massachusetts. Another 300,000 came out of the Kraft family's pocket, and he sent those to New York, the hard hit epicenter of this disaster. And the media capital that has been, to put it mildly, been less than kind over the years. But again, this is a moment that transcends all that. I just want to be clear on the actual numbers. 1.7 million total. 300,000 from the Krafts.

Hopefully this will inspire other billionaire NFL owners to step up and do their share as well. I wouldn't deign to suggest a total. Whether that's matching RKK's 300,000 total or 3.3% of it, is entirely up to the giver. On behalf of a grateful nation, I just want to thank those who have gone above and beyond the call to help.