Clemson fans rally to help football player whose family ‘lost everything’ in Helene
The Clemson football community is rallying around a Tigers wide receiver and his family after their Florida home was severely damaged by Hurricane Helene.
A GoFundMe started circulating on social media Wednesday afternoon for the family of true freshman wide receiver T.J. Moore, who “lost everything” from their home in north Florida after Helene made landfall on Sept. 26.
The stated goal was $10,000 in donations.
Later that night, donations had already grown to over $30,000 as about 9 p.m. Wednesday, about seven hours after the GoFundMe was posted.
By Thursday morning around 9 a.m., donations had surpassed $40,000 —more than four times the GoFundMe’s original goal — with 415 people donating.
“I can’t even begin to thank everyone for the overwhelming support,” Moore’s mother, Alexandra Moore, said in a post on X (formerly Twitter) on Wednesday night. “I’m at a loss for words, wiping many tears. Knowing that we don’t have to wonder or worry where we’ll sleep next takes a huge burden off of our chest.”
“The kind words, the support, everything. We are always grateful. and forever will be,” she added in a second post, attaching crying face emojis.
Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said last week a number of players on the Tigers’ roster had been impacted by Helene, including many who are from Florida, but he said he’d keep their situations private. Clemson has 14 Florida natives on its roster.
Moore’s family was one of those impacted. According to a GoFundMe posted by Samantha Gonzalez — who is Moore’s aunt and and organized the fundraiser on behalf of her sister and TJ’s mother — the family’s home in Tarpon Springs, Florida took on about 5 feet of water because of the hurricane.
Tarpon Springs is a city on central Florida’s Gulf Coast, about 45 minutes north of Tampa (where Moore played his high school football).
“They lost everything!” Gonzalez, Moore’s aunt, wrote on the GoFundMe page. “Clothing, furniture, their car, and most importantly, their home. While these are only material things, and thank God the most important thing is that they are safe, they are displaced and living in hotel rooms.”
Swinney addressed the Moore family’s situation on Wednesday night as the No. 15 Tigers prepare to visit Florida State on Saturday (7 p.m., ESPN).
Swinney said Moore’s family vacated their home and traveled to Upstate South Carolina last week before Helene hit their area.
“So they were here, thankfully, and not at home,” Swinney said during a post-practice Zoom interview. “But it’s a total loss. Devastation. And so hopefully people will help and support them as they try to start over.”
The Moores attended Saturday night’s home game against Stanford at Memorial Stadium, and Swinney said he spoke with Moore’s mother, Alexandra, during the team’s pregame Tiger Walk.
“I was trying to give her a hug and pick her up and she she picked me up,” Swinney said. “She was just like, ‘Listen, it’s all good. We’re grateful.’ And what an amazing spirit that they have as a family. So I know that they’ll push through it.”
Moore, a former five-star 2024 recruit who has 105 receiving yards and a touchdown this year and made his first career start last weekend, shared the GoFundMe on his personal X page on Wednesday, writing that “anything is appreciated!”
Donations have taken off from there, with the largest being a $7,500 anonymous donation. A number of Clemson football and athletic department staffers have donated to the fund, and two of Moore’s teammates (defensive ends Peter Woods and T.J. Parker) are listed as donating $500 apiece.
Offensive lineman Marcus Tate also made a donation, per the donor tracking page.
Swinney said other players on the roster donating to help Moore, 18, was “another validation” of the family culture Clemson football program strives to create among those in its program.
“We’re all trying to come alongside that family, as a Clemson family, and help them,” Swinney said. “And hopefully Clemson family outside of this building will help as well. But I just think that’s, again, great leadership on their part and just (an example of) the servant leadership that we have on this team.”
This story was originally published October 2, 2024 at 8:41 PM.
