Trump’s stance hits Kiwi star’s dream
Former New Zealand rugby player Michael Hobbs’ dream of building a school in Kenya has become collateral damage of President Donald Trump’s strong stance on the American national anthem being honoured at the NFL.
Hobbs, son of the late All Black and top New Zealand rugby administrator Jock Hobbs, has penned a personal column for the to vent his frustration.
Hobbs has a firm friendship with Kenny Vaccaro, who played for the New Orleans Saints last year. Needing to find US$300,000 (NZ$432,000) for the project, Hobbs explained his dream to Vaccaro and the gridiron star instantly shared his passion and felt his profile could help the funding drive.
They set up the Kenny Vaccaro Foundation in March 2017 with a personal contribution from Vaccaro of US$25,000.
Hobbs said within six months, the foundation had received pledges totaling
US$50,000. Hobbs, a former Super Rugby player, raised an additional
US$125,000 from outside donors and Vaccaro pledged another
US$100,000.
But disaster struck last September when Vaccaro, protesting police brutality and racial injustice, was one of 10 players from the New Orleans Saints who sat on the bench during the national anthem before an NFL match with the Green Bay Packers.
Hobbs said that after the protest, half the members on the foundation’s board resigned and asked that their donations be returned.
A subsequent fundraising banquet had to be cancelled.
Vaccaro desperately wrote to the board members hoping to persuade them to change their minds.
But Hobbs said Vaccaro’s plea made no difference.
‘‘The board members had made up their minds. Eight months on, we still haven’t made up the deficit,’’ Hobbs wrote in his column.
‘‘Construction of our new school is scheduled to begin in a few weeks, but we are still staring down a US$75,000 hole.
‘‘Our goal is to open the school next January. I’m not sure if we’ll have the money in time.
‘‘While finishing my MBA at Stanford, I’m trying to leverage my network here to deliver on our promise to the children of Blessed Hope.
‘‘For his part, Kenny has not been signed by any NFL team, even though he was considered one of the premier free agents heading into the off-season. Does this have anything to do with his protest?
‘‘We have both learned a lesson about the collateral damage of pettiness and polarisation. Kids in a Nairobi slum pay the price.’’