Russell Wilson breaks silence on accusations against foundation’s charitable endeavors

Denver Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson broke his silence this week on accusations made by the Arizona Republic that his foundation invested just 24.3 cents of every dollar raised during the combined COVID years of 2020 and 2021.

The report, which was later picked up and distributed by USA Today, stated that charitable foundations by Wilson and three other NFL Walter Payton Man of the Year award winners - Anquan Boldin, Andrew Whitworth and Charles Tillman - presented tax forms where far more was spent on salaries and expenditures than the charities.

None of the four players had more than 35.3 cents of every dollar spent on charities.

Wilson spoke out on Twitter, stating that the 'Why Not You Foundation' "will continue to serve and empower change in the world."

.@WhyNotYouFdn will continue to serve & empower change in the world, one child at a time. ❤️ twitter.com/mikeklis/statu…

What was Russell Wilson's foundation accused of?

The main accusation states that the Why Not You Foundation spent just $600k on charitable endeavors over the COVID years, according to federal tax reports. At the same time, $1.1 million was spent on salaries and benefits for employees.

Shayla Tait, the executive director of the Why Not You Foundation, spoke out on the matter:

"It is disheartening that a narrow account of our work has attempted to diminish the important impact the WNYF has made in the lives of so many youth and families. Like many charitable organizations, a significant amount of our philanthropic impact is not reflected on our 990 form, including more than $10 million raised in collaboration with our partners, who granted these funds directly to nonprofit organizations serving immediate needs."

She has also defended the amount of money raised by other partners to fight different causes in America:

Over the last eight years, the Why Not You Foundation has helped raised more than $13 million to fight pediatric cancer, eliminate food insecurity and provide education for children in underserved communities. The Why Not You Foundation will continue to evolve with charitable best practices as we further our mission to positively impact communities all over the world

Wilson and Ciara are one of the sport's power couples, though we will have to wait and see if the allegations amount to anything concrete over the coming weeks.