The Toronto Raptors honored the victims the deadly van attack Monday with a moment of silence Wednesday night before Game 5 of their playoff
series against the Washington Wizards/
Players from both teams held up banners with the hashtag (hash)TORONTOSTRONG as they stood on the court during the tribute and the national anthems that
followed.
The Raptors
Youth Brandon Sutter Jersey , the Wizards and the NBA will make a donation to a fund for victims and those affected by the incident.
Raptors President Masai Ujiri spoke about the attack after the Raptors practiced Tuesday.
”What we do doesn’t really matter sometimes,” Ujiri said. ”I can’t imagine what it would be like to be on that sidewalk.”
Guard Kyle Lowry said he was impressed by the actions of Const. Ken Lam, who earned international acclaim for peacefully arresting of suspect Alek
Minassian.
”In America he would definitely have been shot up,” Lowry said. ”He did an amazing job of making a judgment call. I think more people could learn from
that.”
Coach Dwane Casey was struck by how close the carnage occurred to his own Toronto neighborhood,
”It’s not too far from up the street from where I live,” Casey said.
Casey and his coaches were in the midst of a meeting Monday afternoon when assistant Rex Kalamian’s phone buzzed with someone informing him of the tragedy.
The coaches stopped their meeting and turned on a television to find out what
had happened.
”It’s very unfortunate,” Casey said. ”Just this weekend I was talking to people saying how safe Toronto is, how it’s a melting pot and you don’t have the
same crime. Hopefully though, sport can offer a relief
Jason Pominville Jersey Kids , some reprieve.”
Like Casey, Ujiri said he is proud of Toronto’s reputation as a safe, welcoming place.
”Everywhere I go, I brag about this city,” Ujiri said. ”It’s the safest place in the world. It’s the best city in the world and it’s going to continue to be
the best place and the best city in the world.”
Toronto police said the 10 people killed and 14 injured in the attack were ”predominantly” women, but have declined so far to discuss a motive. The
25-year-old Minassian has been charged with 10 counts of first-degree murder and
13 counts of attempted murder.
Whenever Andy Dalton is spotted by a Bills fan, he'll hear another "thank you" for helping Buffalo break its long streak of
playoff futility.
This weekend, Dalton and his foundation are saying "thank you" in return.
Dalton, his wife Jordan and their foundation will donate to the Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center in Buffalo while the Bengals are in town to play a
preseason game on Sunday.
Dalton became one of the most popular sports figures in Buffalo on New Year's Eve when his 49-yard touchdown pass to Tyler Boyd with 49 seconds left sent the
Bengals to a 31-27 win in Baltimore. The fourth-down pass eliminated the Ravens
and gave the Bills their first playoff appearance since 1999.
Buffalo's playoff drought was the longest in the NFL and the longest among the four major professional sports in North America. Immediately
Carl Soderberg Jersey , Dalton began getting donations to his foundation from fans in Buffalo. He's been thanked in person countless times by Bills fans
over the months.
"I've heard I should run for mayor," Dalton said . "I've heard I'll never have to pay for anything in Buffalo. So we'll see."
It wasn't a fad. Donations continued after the Bills lost their playoff game against Jacksonville. So have the in-person shows of gratitude.
"If I go anywhere and there's somebody from Buffalo, they're going to come up to me and tell me they're a Bills fan or they come from Buffalo or have some tie
to Buffalo," Dalton said. "That hasn't gone away since the play happened.
"It's really cool and crazy that it's a completely different fan base that has a lot of love for me, and obviously for Tyler, too."
On a fourth-and-12 play, Dalton found Boyd open just inside the Ravens 25-yard line. The receiver slipped through an attempted tackle on his way to the
winning touchdown, which set off a wild celebration in the Buffalo locker
room.
Dalton said that as of this week, his foundation has received 17
Nick Foligno Jersey ,000 donations for more than $450,000 that can be traced to the Buffalo area. The Andy and Jordan Foundation helps seriously ill
and physically challenged children.
Boyd estimates he has received more than $100,000 in donations that went to a youth sports league in his hometown of Clairton, Pennsylvania.
Dalton thinks the Bengals will be warmly welcomed Sunday when they take the field for the third preseason game. The teams have deepened their connection in
the offseason: The Bengals traded with the Bills for left tackle Cordy Glenn and
signed linebacker Preston Brown, and the Bills signed former Bengals quarterback
AJ McCarron and center Russell Bodine.
"If you're looking at social media, I think there will be a pretty good ovation," Dalton said.
Bills coach Sean McDermott is touched by how fans have responded to Dalton, and also by how the Bengals quarterback is giving back to Buffalo.
"What a strong moment," McDermott said. "It gives me chills just to think about it. So many times ... you get
Tom Kuhnhackl Jersey , 'Hey, this is this team and that team,' and you kind of get on your own individual islands and everyone's on their own island
and team.
"But what a great testament to paying it forward and what Andy and his wife have decided to do and give back to our community that gave to them."
FOCUS ON LINE: The right side of the Bengals' offensive line struggled against the Cowboys last week, but coach Marvin Lewis was upbeat about it
Wednesday, saying the line overall is much better than a year ago.
"I feel really good where we are, no doubt about it," Lewis said.
MUM ON EIFERT: Lewis declined to tip his hand whether tight end Tyler Eifert would make his preseason debut in Buffalo. He had another back procedure last
season and wasn't cleared to practice when training camp opened. Eifert was one
of only three active Bengals who didn't get into the game at Dallas.
AP Sports Writer John Wawrow contributed to this report.
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