Chinese-American NFL star Taylor Rapp to donate NFT funds to anti-Asian hate campaign – ‘it was a responsibility’

The LA Rams safety says the Asian-American community ‘means a lot to me’ and will donate some profits from his Year of the Ox-themed collection

Rapp, 23, was born in Atlanta, Georgia, where eight people including six Asian women were victims of a mass shooting last month

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Los Angeles Rams safety, Taylor Rapp, visits students at the Castelar Street Elementary School in Los Angeles in 2019. Photo: Handout

Published: 5:34pm, 1 Apr 2021Updated: 3:59pm, 22 Apr 2021

Chinese-American NFL player Taylor Rapp said he will donate proceeds from his non-fungible token (NFT) venture to the “#StopAsianHate” campaign in the fight against a recent spate of violent attacks on the Asian community in the US.

The Los Angeles Rams safety is launching six digital collections and will auction a total of 90 NFTs (unique, non-interchangeable digital items) including NFL game tickets and meet-and-greets, CNBC reported.

“I’m Asian-American and this community means a lot to me. I wanted to help my people, and what better way to raise money right now to donate than through creating an NFT collection and using my platform?” the 23-year-old told CNBC.

Rapp, who last year condemned the “Chinese virus” rhetoric and subsequent racially charged attacks in the US, was born to a Canadian-American father and Chinese mother in Atlanta, Georgia, the location of a shooting spree which killed eight people, including six Asian women last month.

Rapp scores his first pro-career touchdown for the Los Angeles Rams at the expense of the Arizona Cardinals in 2019. Photo: Handout

Some of the NFT collection includes homages to his Asian heritage, including a Chinese zodiac-themed graphic in his “Taylor Rapp – Year of the Ox NFT collection”.