Aaron Rodgers donates $500,000 to small-business coronavirus relief fund

GREEN BAY — Green Bay Packers QB Aaron Rodgers is donating $500,000 to help small businesses hit hard during the COVID-19 pandemic.

During an Instagram live Friday, Rodgers pledged a half-million dollars to The Barstool Fund, matching Barstool founder Dave Portnoy's own $500,000 donation.

The Barstool Fund has already raised over $21 million for 97 small businesses across the country, including restaurants, sports bars, breweries and other businesses. And Rodgers called on his Packers teammates and others to also contribute, to help those struggling during these trying times.

"This is real money. Not we'll just put you on the list and maybe we'll see... this is real money that's happening every single day to people who need it. I'm involved now; my money is where my mouth is. I'm putting out a call to action," Rodgers said, according to a transcriptposted by the Barstool sports blog.

"You guys have a message of hope and love that nobody else is offering. The government isn't offering help… these are our people, the backbone of the American class. This is not about any politics, this is about our people…. we need those things. That's what makes this country great…. You're giving us love and hope when all we get from the media is fear and things that make us scared."

"Keep up the good work, anything you need: I'm on board," according to Rodgers.

The money raised is in part going to some Wisconsin businesses: J&B’s Bar & Blue Ribbon Tap Room in Milwaukee, the Abbey Bar in De Pere, Dairy Land Family Restaurant in Madison, and Gray Brewing Company in Janesville, WBAY TV reports.

If you want to make a tax-deductible donation to the fundraiser, click here.

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