Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan pledged $500,000 to Atlanta’s black community before he knew exactly where that money would go.
Ryan said on The Daily Show that he decided to make the donation first, then began conversations with leaders in Atlanta’s black community about the specific programs that the money would fund.
“No. 1, I knew I wanted to do something, but No. 2, I knew that I didn’t know how to do it, or how to help,” Ryan said. “Typically, what I’ve found throughout my life is when it’s an area that I don’t know the most about, I think it’s important to find people that do, and find people you trust, and have them guide you. That’s what I’m in the process of doing. I’ve had great conversations with about eight different people in the Atlanta community who are heavily involved at the grassroots level in terms of community organizers and people who do this every day, who have been trying to make a change for a long time and are much more knowledgeable about the hurdles that we have to jump but also the things that we can do that are really going to make an impact immediately, and then long-term too.”
Ryan also reiterated his belief that Colin Kaepernick belongs in the NFL and should be signed.