BY IRIS B. HOLTON
Sentinel City Editor
On Thursday afternoon, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers donated $15,000 to an East Tampa Little League Football Team. All of the team’s equipment was destroyed by fire earlier this month.
The presentation of the check took place at 3 p.m., at the team’s home field located at 4509 E. Regnas Avenue. Beginning in May, several acts of vandalism and theft have taken place at the storage unit of the Tampa Bay Lions Little League Football Team.
Tampa Bay Bucs and the cheerleaders visited the field and led the Lions through football and cheer drills.
In a written statement, the Bucs said, “On June 8, it was discovered that the Lions’ storage unit had been robbed once more, and on June 12, arsonists set fire to the area, destroying any contents remaining in storage.
“Thursday’s donation will help the Lions recoup items lost from the recent acts of vandalism, including funding for: 125 new football jerseys, 100 shoulder pads and football pants, 75 helmets, a temporary storage unit, and a membership to USA Football’s Heads Up Football program.
“USA Football, the official youth football development partner of the Buccaneers and the NFL, recently launched Heads Up Football, a player safety initiative that promotes concussion awareness, coaching education, proper equipment fitting, and a set of recommended standards for parents, coaches and leagues.”
The series of crimes culminated on June 8th when James Daniels, Executive Director of the Tampa Bay Lions Youth Football Team, and Ms. Cookie Dorsey, President of the organization, said unidentified suspects had broken into the storage room and vandalized the building the Saturday before the fire. The following Wednesday, someone set the storage structure on fire, destroying everything inside.
The Tampa Police Department is currently investigating the burglaries and arson that has taken place at the facility.
Daniels said, “They went back in midday and were brazen enough to set the place on fire. We don’t know who is doing this, but it’s not about us. It’s about our children and we are just trying to save them from the streets.”
After the story was reported in the media, Daniels said the telephone began ringing and the donations began to come in.
In addition to the donation from the Tampa Bay Bucs, Daniels said the Tampa Bay Rays donated $2,500.
“Everything the devil took from us, we’re getting it back. The devil is a liar. Even after having our equipment stolen and the building burned, our JV and Pee Wee teams brought back first place trophies when they played in Haynes City. Our Varsity team brought back a second place trophy. So we are still winners,” Daniels said.
He further stated that the donations the team has received will replace the equipment so the youth can continue to play. However, he said the building itself remains an uncertainty.
“We are going to use the money we have received to do as much as we can. We will still do fundraisers to replace everything we don’t have.”
