- Rizzo was a student at the school until 2007, when he was drafted by Boston
- On Wednesday, 17 were killed during a mass shooting at the school
- Rizzo on Twitter: ‘Parkland and Coral Springs please stay strong! This is out of control and and (sic) our country is in desperate need for change’
- Cubs G.M. Jed Hoyer said Rizzo has the team’s blessing to leave: ‘When he feels right coming back he should come back. Meantime he’s in the right place’
Chicago Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo is a Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School alum who donated $150k to the school to pay for lights on the baseball field
A former student at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida, Chicago Cubs slugger Anthony Rizzo responded to Wednesday’s shooting that claimed 17 lives by pleading for change.
‘Parkland and Coral Springs please stay strong!’ the 28-year-old first baseman wrote on Twitter. ‘This is out of control and and (sic) our country is in desperate need for change. I hope In this darkest of times back home this brings everyone together and we can find love. You’re all in my prayers.’
Rizzo left the team’s spring training headquarters in Arizona and is returning to Parkland to be aid his former school.
Cubs general manager Jed Hoyer told WBBM News Radio in Chicago that Rizzo has the team’s blessing to leave Mesa, Arizona, where he and his teammates are preparing for the 2018 season.
‘He’s got our full support,’ Hoyer said, according to Fox 10 Chicago anchor Matt Rodewald. ‘When he feels right coming back he should come back. Meantime he’s in the right place.
The 28-year-old Rizzo left the Chicago Cubs spring training headquarters in Mesa, Arizona and is returning to Parkland to be aid his former school
It isn’t yet clear what Rizzo plans to do about the situation, but he previously donated $150,000 to the school to pay for the lights on its baseball field. Rizzo, a cancer survivor, also donated $3.5 million to Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago through his charity back in May.
‘As a survivor of cancer myself, I know the emotional and financial strain the diagnosis of cancer can put on a family,’ Rizzo said in a statement at the time. ‘I believe that an individual does not battle cancer alone, his or her entire family does. That’s why we’ve designated this money to go directly to help families on the front lines.’
After being drafted by the Boston Red Sox in 2007 and traded to San Diego before the 2011 season, Rizzo became one of the game’s most feared sluggers after arriving in Chicago in 2012. He has hit least 31 home runs in each of his last four seasons and in 2016, he helped the Cubs to win their first World Series since 1908.