“The resilience, strength and resolve you’ve shown since the shooting has been nothing short of amazing,” Blake said to the students. “You’ve captured the attention not only of our country, but the world.”
On a day when March For Our Lives protests were taking place across the nation, Blake gave further acknowledgment to their efforts.
“You’ve found the strength to use this horrible situation as a vehicle for social change,” he said.
Two video tributes were played, the first featuring Stoneman Douglas alumni from across the country offering their support in wake of the attack that saw 17 people lose their lives. The second video showed players including Caroline Wozniacki, Marin Cilic, Jack Sock and Karolina Pliskova say that they’re behind the students and that they, too, are “MSD Strong.”
Special T-shirts are being sold around the tournament site, with proceeds going to the Stoneman Douglas Victims Fund.
