Los Angeles (United States) (AFP) – The NFL and four of its teams are donating $5 million to support Los Angeles communities impacted by the devastating wildfires that have killed at least 10 people and destroyed thousands of homes around the Southern California city. The NFL said in a statement on Friday that its two Los Angeles teams, the Rams and Chargers, and their opponents in the wild card playoff round, the Minnesota Vikings and Houston Texans, had pledged $1 million each, which would be matched by the league’s philanthropic arm, the NFL Foundation.
Recipients of the funds include the Los Angeles Fire Department Foundation, which benefits first responders from the city of Los Angeles and Los Angeles County, and the American Red Cross, which provides services to those affected. “We are heartbroken over the devastating losses experienced by so many in the Los Angeles area and inspired by the heroism of first responders and residents who have supported their neighbors,” NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said. “The NFL family is committed to working with the Los Angeles Chargers and Los Angeles Rams to support their local communities in their time of need.”
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The NFL had already announced that the Rams’ playoff game against the Vikings on Monday has been moved from SoFi Stadium to Arizona “in the interest of public safety.” The Texans host the Chargers on Saturday. The NBA postponed the Los Angeles Lakers’ home game against the Charlotte Hornets scheduled for Thursday, and as of Friday, the Lakers and Los Angeles Clippers were waiting to learn if their home games scheduled for Saturday would go ahead as planned, as multiple fires continued to burn.
The Lakers trained at their practice facility on Friday, where coach JJ Redick confirmed his home was among the thousands destroyed in the Palisades fire, which has ripped through more than 20,000 acres. “I’m not sure I’ve wept or wailed like that in several years,” said Redick, who was emotional in speaking with reporters. Redick, who was named coach of the Lakers in June, was living in a rented house with his wife, Chelsea, and their two sons. But despite his relatively short time there, Redick noted it was a blow to see the destruction of a community that had warmly embraced his family.
“It was not prepared for what I saw,” Redick said of visiting Pacific Palisades after he returned home from the Lakers’ road game at Dallas on Tuesday – when the fire broke out.
– ‘Complete devastation’ –
“It’s complete devastation and destruction. I don’t think you can ever prepare yourself for something like that. Our home is gone. Everything that we owned that was of any importance to us in almost 20 years together as a couple and 10 years of parenting was in that house,” he added. “There’s certain things that you can’t replace, that will never be replaced.”
Other sports figures were also among those grappling with the devastation. Five-time Olympic swimming gold medallist Gary Hall Jr. said he evacuated his Pacific Palisades house, taking only his dog, the insulin he uses to treat his diabetes, a painting of his grandfather, and a religious artifact. He was unable to return to the house to get his five gold, three silver, and two bronze medals he won over the course of three Olympic Games in 1996, 2000, and 2004.
“I was getting pelted by embers on that first run,” Hall said. “So I grabbed my dog and some dog food, and that was it,” he told the Los Angeles Times. Hall, who found refuge with family in San Diego, told the Times he was preparing for “a complete rebuild” of his life.
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