Anthony Rizzo returned to the Chicago Cubs today after spending time in Florida with the grieving community around Stoneman Douglas high school, the site of a tragic shooting last week, and also Rizzo’s alma mater.
Rizzo is understandably not looking to become the face of gun control in the United States, but it seems like he does want everyone to know what happened and to see how the children there are responding. Some of his remarks today to the media:
#Cubs Rizzo on meeting with the Parkland students: "It was the hardest thing I've ever had to do. You don't know what to say, there's nothing you can say. … Just to see how real it is, it's sad and it's why I'm so proud of what they're doing back in Parkland" #NeverAgain
— Carrie Muskat (@CarrieMuskat) February 19, 2018
#Cubs Rizzo opening comments following his speech in Parkland, FL. “Very proud of my community…” pic.twitter.com/zwsG8UEWfY
— Kelly Crull (@Kelly_Crull) February 19, 2018
Watch Anthony Rizzo discuss going back home to Parkland, Fla. to help lend support after the school shooting there last week. https://t.co/l3FtFf1L7J pic.twitter.com/jx6bXc3Qay
— Jesse Rogers (@ESPNChiCubs) February 19, 2018
Rizzo:
"I can’t even sit up here with confidence and say this is going to be the last mass shooting because it probably won’t be. But hopefully this [students' taking action] is one of the steps in the right direction."— Gordon Wittenmyer (@GDubCub) February 19, 2018
Rizzo doesn't plan to make political stand: “I don’t think it’s fair to my teammates and everyone else if I start going one way or the other. …It’s hard enough to hit a baseball. It’s going to be definitely hard enough to be a baseball player and a politician at the same time.”
— Gordon Wittenmyer (@GDubCub) February 19, 2018
Rizzo adamant he wasn't making any political statements. He was there for support: “To be very clear I did not say the word 'gun' one time. Anyone out there who wrote I’m calling for gun control is very irresponsible. I did not say that once. I don’t know enough about it. "
— Jesse Rogers (@ESPNChiCubs) February 19, 2018
Rizzo on change: I don’t know what needs to be done, but something, some type of change needs to happen for the better…No one right now feels very comfortable on a daily basis sending their kid to school and not knowing if they’re going to see them again.
— Kelly Crull (@Kelly_Crull) February 19, 2018
Anthony Rizzo: "I can sit back and give opinions, but you just hope that somewhere up the line of command, people are thinking the same things that a lot of innocent kids are thinking: Why? Why am I scared to go to school? Why am I scared to say goodbye to my son or daughter?"
— Patrick Mooney (@PJ_Mooney) February 19, 2018
Rizzo on Stoneman Douglas students: "For them to be outspoken about it, it shows that they’re not just going to sit back and be another statistic. They really want to make a change."
— Patrick Mooney (@PJ_Mooney) February 19, 2018
Rizzo on Stoneman Douglas students: “They’re going to speak up. It’s good for the kids to go out and show that they have a voice. I can’t tell them what they just went through. They just went through the scariest time of their life that no one should ever have to go through."
— Patrick Mooney (@PJ_Mooney) February 19, 2018
I’m sure there are some among you who wish Rizzo would become a visible advocate for changes in the gun laws in this country. I’m sure there are some among you who want Rizzo to stay as far away from that topic as possible. I both sides there can be fair to this guy who was touched personally by this tragedy, who wants to support his community, and who also probably doesn’t want to be used as a “big celebrity baseball player” on either side of this issue.
To me, it sounds like Rizzo toed that line very well, all while underscoring that what is happening to our children is unacceptable. And what he said while in Florida remains very powerful, hopefully resonating with Cubs fans – and others – everywhere. He remains an exemplary member of the Cubs and baseball community.