Bills Jordan Poyer Cancels Charity Golf Tournament Over Trump Backlash
After receiving heavy backlash over the choice of location, Buffalo Bills safety Jordan Poyer has canceled his Celebrity Open golf event, he and his representatives at Avalon Sports confirmed Saturday. The event was scheduled for July 10 at Trump National Doral Miami.
In a lengthy Instagram video, Poyer stated that he decided to cancel the event after multiple golfers and sponsors withdrew. According to the Buffalo News, the main catalyst for the cancellation was the withdrawal of ECMC, a foundation that Poyer named as a sponsor but a spokesperson described as just a beneficiary.
"I regret to inform you that my annual Golf Charity Event in South Florida, originally scheduled for July 10th at the Blue Monster at Trump National in Doral, has been rescheduled for next year," Poyer wrote on Instagram. "Unfortunately, the location of the event led to a few sponsors and golfers withdrawing at the last minute due to external pressures. While it’s disappointing, I respect their decision. Nevertheless, we will persevere. Next offseason, we will host this event with unwavering dedication, ensuring that it remains free from any external distractions."
Poyer's representatives at Avalon Sports also issued a statement on the cancellation. In the statement, Avalon Sports described Trump National Doral as "one of Jordan's favorite courses in south Florida," and the backlash came as a surprise.
"Unfortunately we were sadly surprised by negative comments by some individuals trying to make this a political battle and divide our community," Avalon Sports writes. "We condemn any type of violence and stand by Jordan as he continues to work to make a positive impact and be a role model for our community."
In the aforementioned Instagram video, Poyer expressed his disappointment over the cancellation and said he was "upset about this is where we are in America." The Bills safety said he could look past differences to try and do good, but he wished more people did the same.
"I hope that we could get past that and it seemed we did, but we haven’t," Poyer said. "It seems like our egos get in the way of being a good human being. (Not) sharing love, sharing conversations, sharing laughter with people who may not believe in the same things that you do, it’s a huge problem in America right now."
You can follow Jonathan Alfano on Twitter at @JonAlfano_News
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