Carolina Panthers owner Jerry Richardson announced in a letter Friday that his organization would donate $100,000 in honor of the victims of the Charleston, South Carolina, shooting on Wednesday.
Richardson said in a letter to the Mother Emanuel Hope Fund, which was set up by Charleston Mayor Joseph P. Riley to provide financial support for the families’ funeral expenses, that $10,000 should go to each of the families of the nine victims.
The final $10,000 is to go to the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church, the site of the shooting, "as a memorial honoring the victims."
A copy of the letter was uploaded to Twitter by Bakari Sellers, a former member of the South Carolina House of Representatives.
The letter reads in full:
"In honor of Sharonda Coleman-Singleton, Cynthia Hurd, Susie Jackson, Ethel Lance, DePayne Middleton-Doctor, The Reverend Clementa Pinckney, Tywanza Sanders, The Reverend Daniel L. Simmons, Sr. and Myra Thompson, please accept the enclosed check from the Carolina Panthers in the amount of $100,000 to provide $10,000 per family to help defray funeral costs, and other financial needs of each, and $10,000 for the church as a memorial honoring the victims. Our hearts are one with those who grieve the loss of these individuals.
Respectfully,
Jerry Richardson"
Panthers spokesperson Stephen Drummond told ESPN.com in a statement that the team would not comment directly on the donation at this time, but said “our hearts are one with those who grieve the loss of these individuals.”
CORRECTION: A previous version of this story identified Bakari Sellers as a current member of the South Carolina House of Representatives. He is a former member.