Buccaneers' Mike Evans to play 'Madden' to raise money for those killed, injured at Jacksonville event

Shalise Manza Young
·Columnist
Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans (R) will play “Madden” and “Fortnite” to raise money for the families of the gamers killed on Sunday in Jacksonville. (AP)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans (R) will play “Madden” and “Fortnite” to raise money for the families of the gamers killed on Sunday in Jacksonville. (AP)

Sunday’s shooting at a Madden 19 tournament at a Jacksonville game bar has deeply impacted the gaming community. It left two victims dead and 11 injured.

As has become customary after such events, funds have been established to support those impacted; EA, the developer of “Madden NFL 19”, has donated $1 million to victims.

And one of the players in the game, Tampa Bay Buccaneers Pro Bowler Mike Evans, has found a way to help as well.

Special matchup

Evans will take part in a matchup with top Madden player Shay Kivlen, who was at Sunday’s tournament but left the bar where it was being held just before the shooting began. The two will play “Madden” and “Fortnite” for several hours beginning at 2:30 p.m. ET on Monday.

Their games will be streamed on Tiltify, a platform that allows users to fundraise during their livestreams.

The money raised will go to the families of Eli Clayton and Taylor Robertson, the two men killed in the shooting. Kivlen was close friends with Clayton.

“It’s nice to see that even though there’s this bad seed [the alleged shooter], there’s all these good people in the world,” Kivlen told ESPN of Evans’ involvement.

Cameron Kasky, one of the students who survived the Valentines’ Day shooting at Stoneman Douglas High School in February, is one of the organizers.

“We believe the most effective way to pay tribute is to do what they did best – put on a show playing some games,” Kasky said. “We’re approaching this with the spirit the victims brought into the world. These were guys who loved what they did.”

Acts of kindness nothing new for Evans

Acts of kindness small and large are nothing new for the 25-year-old Evans. As a child growing up in Galveston, Texas, he’d see Steelers defensive tackle Casey Hampton holding free football camps every year, and vowed to do the same one day. He’s held three so far.

Last month, after seeing the story of a California family that was awarded just $4 by a jury after the father was shot and killed by police in his own home, Evans donated $11,000.

Earlier Thursday, Evans tweeted that fans purchasing items through his personal website might find a surprise: he’ll be putting autographed footballs in random shipments.

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