Philadelphia Union captain again urges Congress to act on gun violence
CHESTER, Pa. (WPVI) -- A member of the Philadelphia Union is continuing to make his voice heard following a pair of mass shootings over the weekend left more than 30 people dead.
Team captain Alejandro Bedoya made headlines after scoring a goal against DC United on Sunday. He ran to the television microphone on the field and shouted, "Hey Congress, do something to end gun violence."
At practice in Chester, Pa. on Tuesday, Bedoya addressed those comments, saying he's a human being before he's an athlete.
He said the comments were bi-partisan and he wants both the Republicans and Democrats in Congress to act.
Bedoya says the support he's been getting from his teammates, his coaches and Major League Soccer has been overwhelming.
He said he had been thinking a lot about gun violence leading up to Sunday's game and hadn't planned to grab the microphone.
It's an important topic to him, considering his ties to the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High school in Parkland, Florida, where a gunman killed 17 people last year.
"I grew up in South Florida about 10 minutes from there, I played at Douglas, played on that field, at that school, had many friends that attended that school - so that really hit home, that hit close to the heart," he said.
Bedoya also said he would like to see universal background checks.
We also spoke with the Union head coach who said he fully supports Bedoya and says sports and politics should not be and have never been separate.
Bedoya was named the MLS player of the week after he scored the goal.
