“Only a quarter of it goes to charity,” Recent report accuses Russell Wilson of spending just a fraction of every dollar on charity
Russell Wilson may be in some hot water. The QB's foundation has reportedly spent just 24.3 cents of every dollar toward charity activities.
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Russell Wilson won the Walter Payton Man of the Year award in 2020. (IMAGE: AP Photo)
Russell Wilson has not had the best start to the year as his performance on the field this season was underwhelming and far from what fans had expected from the stacked Denver Broncos. Now, the quarterback finds himself in the midst of some controversy, his charity foundation, the Why Not You Foundation.
As per the report from The USA TODAY Network, Russell Wilson’s foundation spent merely 24.3 cents of every dollar it received toward charitable activities in 2020 and 2021 combined. Over $1.1 million was spent on salaries and employee benefits in those two years, as per federal tax records.
These salaries included paying an executive who happens to be a close associate of Russell Wilson nearly six figures. The investigation stated that “Form 990 federal tax returns from the nonprofit’s inception through 2021 show it reported $7.5 million in revenue and $7 million in expenses during its first eight years of existence.”
Russell Wilson’s charitable foundation raises millions in funds annually
The report goes on to add, “Less than half of the money- $2.8 million, or 39.6 cents of every dollar spent-has gone to charitable activities, all as grants to other nonprofits. The remaining $4.2 million has been paid for fundraising, administrative and management expenses, including the salaries of three employees, who have received $1.9 million combined.“
Russell Wilson was the Walter Payton Man of the Year in 2020. This award is given to athletes who have made exceptional contributions and supported their communities. As per the filings of the foundation, in 2020, it earned $838,000 as revenue and recorded $1.2 million in expenses. Out of this, it included expenses of $257,000 toward charitable activities and nearly $548,000 toward salaries and employee benefits.
This does raise some concerns regarding the contributions Russell Wilson’s foundation made the year he won the award. Russell Wilson has had a rough streak lately and with this news, it does not seem to have gotten better for the quarterback. If this report does turn out to be accurate, it could result in serious consequences for him.
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Sumedh Joshi
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