Seahawks owner Paul Allen pledging $100M in fight against Ebola

Folks in the United States are starting to understand the seriousness of the Ebola crisis worldwide now that there have been documented cases in this country, but it has plagued Western Africa with nearly 5,000 deaths.

One NFL owner is doing everything he can to help support this growing cause. Seattle Seahawks owner Paul Allen told the New York Times that he is pledging $100 million to the effort, which makes him one of the largest individual donors for this crisis.

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“Everybody feels called sometimes to really pursue a certain thing that resonates with them, and this has resonated with me,” Allen said on Thursday.

The owner of the Seahawks and the NBA’s Portland Trailblazers, and also a co-founder of Microsoft, Allen said he “nagging sense” following the July outbreak of Ebola that the crisis only would grow. That’s why he’s stepping up to the plate financially to help out. 

“We’re up against an extremely tough opponent here,” Allen said. “The exponential nature of the growth of this disease is really a challenge — we’ve already seen in the U.S. where one case quickly became two.”

And that tough opponent poses an unknown challenge: Just how much financial support is needed to help contain the disease and treat it properly? Certainly no one knows that answer.

Allen has created a website (TackleEbola.com) where donors can make their own contributions at any level of commitment to help fund projects such as 6,000 hand-washing stations and beds for a center treating patients infected with the virus, and it highlights which organizations are helping the fight against Ebola.

“I’m trying to galvanize and coordinate some of the different groups and the attack on some of the key issues,” he said.

This a noble and significant effort by one of the world’s most charitable people toward a frightening and lethal cause. We tip our hats to his donations and also to his support for a crisis that appears to be gaining a foothold in the American conscience. Let’s hope others step up and donate whatever they can to help, especially in Africa where it’s needed most.

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Eric Edholm is a writer for Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Eric_Edholm