Yahoo Sports Red Sox exec starts GoFundMe for family of baseball coach killed in Kobe Bryant crash
John Altobelli, the baseball coach at Orange Coast College in Costa Mesa, was one of the nine people on a helicopter with NBA legend Kobe Bryant when it crashed near Calabasas and every passenger died. So were John’s daughter Alyssa and his wife Keri.
They leave behind two other children — J.J. Altobelli, a former college baseball player who now works as a scout for the Boston Red Sox, and a daughter Lexi, who is approaching college.
A day after the crash, the Boston Red Sox are lending their support to the Altobelli family. Red Sox scouting director Paul Toboni has created a GoFundMe for the Altobelli family that the Red Sox have endorsed and pledged to support. Within an hour of its launch, there had already been $10,000 worth of donations toward the campaign’s $500,000 goal.
Writes Toboni on the GoFundMe page:
As J.J. and his sister Lexi cope with the immense sadness stemming from this accident, we want to rally to raise money for them. Ensuring that J.J. and Lexi don’t have to worry about financial insecurity moving forward is the least we can do.
While the Red Sox and its Foundation will be providing financial and emotional support, we understand that opening this up to the public can provide the Altobelli Family with the most security moving forward. These funds will help J.J. and Lexi as they are faced with funeral costs, Lexi’s future education, as well as other general living costs. Please join us in contributing – no amount is too small.
From the bottom of our hearts, thank you in advance for your generosity.
John Altobelli was a longtime baseball coach at both Orange Coast College and in the Cape Cod League, a summer league for college players. There, he coached the likes of Aaron Judge and Jeff McNeil. The Mets All-Star in particular credits Altobelli for helping him become a big leaguer. “Alto”, as he was known by his players and staff, had won more than 700 games during 27 seasons at Orange Coast College plus four state titles, and was a national coach of the year in 2019.
Red Sox GM Chaim Bloom said in a statement about the family:
A statement from Red Sox Chief Baseball Officer Chaim Bloom regarding the Altobelli family: pic.twitter.com/nfrMs5t6Bj
— Red Sox (@RedSox) January 27, 2020
Anyone wishing to contribute to the Red Sox-supported effort for the Altobelli family can follow this link to do so.
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