Why is Russell Wilson's charity under fire? Broncos QB claps back via video message
Russell Wilson and Ciara's charitable foundation "Why Not You" has been under fire for a few days. Not only have people questioned their charity, but also Wilson's intentions and finances. Wilson eventually ended up sharing a video on his personal Instagram page.
As per a report by USA Today, Wilson's charity 'spent almost $600,000, or just 24.3 cents of every dollar, on charitable activities in 2020 and 2021 combined. However, they reportedly spent $1.1 million on salaries and other expenses.
After the organization responded, Wilson shared his views on the matter.
While he did not address the incident directly, his words were similar to an earlier statement released by the organization.
“This means the world to me, has meant the world to me and will forever mean the world to me,” Wilson said.
He continued:
“I just gotta say something. For our "Why Not You" foundation over the past eight years we’ve been so freaking blessed to meet so many amazing people, so many amazing kids along the way and to be able to also partner with some amazing brands."
He further spoke about partnerships and how they have raised millions for pedriatic cancer, education and hunger prevention, amongst other things.
“Those are the things that haven’t really been highlighted and talked about, but I just want to highlight those things.”
According to Wilson, because of their partnerships, the money goes directly to people in need.
Ciara, who works with her husband for the charity, responded in the comments:
"So proud of all that we’ve accomplished! Excited to keep it going and to keep serving!"
Fans were apprehensive about Russell Wilson's charity
Considering the numbers shared by USA Today, fans were upset over what it could imply.
The reports stated that the organization raised over two million for the Seattle Children's Hospital in 2019, but only $78,000 was directly donated. Over the years, "Why Not You" has donated $836,000 to the hospital and the Seattle Children’s Hospital Foundation.
Some fans believed that Wilson was a part of the constant problem, while others were convinced that most charities were a farce.
@AaronLevine_ Welp. If one ever wondered if he had a future in politics...it seems he does.
@AaronLevine_ Double dipping:
“Tarpley was reported to have been hired as the foundation’s chief strategy officer in 2020 working 40 hours a week at a salary of $209,000 while also holding the same title for the Wilson family office…”
Huge red flag.
@AaronLevine_ Maybe rename the charity, “Why not for me?”
As the online discourse continued, Russell Wilson's foundation ended up releasing a statement that somewhat addressed the issue at hand:
“Since founding the Why Not You Foundation in 2014, we’ve been blessed and fortunate to partner with incredible organizations to maximize our impact,” the statement read.
They added:
“We’ve successfully partnered to deliver over $13,000,000 benefiting education, pediatric cancer research and hunger prevention."
We will see if there is more to this storyline in the coming days.