The Tampa Bay Rays, Buccaneers, and Lightning released a joint statement today pledging to fund the removal of a Confederate statue in downtown Tampa Bay, Florida.
The funding comes just in time. Last month, city commissioners approved the removal of the statue and set a 30-day deadline to raise the $280,000 needed to remove the statue. After fundraising stalled recently, sports commentator and former NFL coach Tony Dungy pledged $5,000, prompting Tampa Bay’s local teams to join the efforts.
The Florida United Daughters of the Confederacy hope to relocate the statue — a memorial to Confederate soldiers — to the Brandon Family Cemetery, a privately owned cemetery.
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