*Michael Jordan’s surprise announcement this week that he would give $2 million to organizations working to improve relations between police and urban communities was published first on ESPN’s recently launched site the Undefeated because Jordan “had read some of the articles on The Undefeated and liked what we were doing,” editor-in-chief Kevin Merida said.
“As a proud American, a father who lost his own dad in a senseless act of violence, and a black man, I have been deeply troubled by the deaths of African-Americans at the hands of law enforcement and angered by the cowardly and hateful targeting and killing of police officers,” Jordan writes in a one-page letter released exclusively to The Undefeated. “I grieve with the families who have lost loved ones, as I know their pain all too well.”
READ RELATED STORY: Michael Jordan Says He ‘Can No Longer Stay Silent’; Speaks Out on Police Shootings
Merida told Journal-isms how the publication scored the widely reported MJ exclusive:
“I recently met with a Jordan representative and had pitched various ideas for The Undefeated. It turns out, unbeknownst to me at the time, that Michael already had been thinking of making a statement about black men being killed by police and the targeting of police officers. Not only did he want to make a statement, but he was researching where he might put money behind his thoughts to have a tangible impact, I later learned.”
He added: “We are certainly glad he released the statement to us. I was told he had read some of the articles on The Undefeated and liked what we were doing.”
Jordan used the letter to announce grants of $1 million each to two organizations: the Institute for Community-Police Relations, and the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, which works through the legal system to push for civil rights. It became a separate organization from the NAACP in 1957.
“Although I know these contributions alone are not enough to solve the problem, I hope the resources will help both organizations make a positive difference,” Jordan wrote.
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