ESPN host John Saunders will reportedly cover the costs of a tombstone for Eric Garner, the New York Daily News is reporting.
Saunders, the longtime host of “The Sports Reporters,” decided to make the gesture after reading a story about Garner’s unmarked grave in Tuesday’s edition of the Daily News.
“I think that it’s really wonderful,” said Garner’s daughter Emerald, 23, whose face lit up when told of Saunders’ offer Tuesday, “We appreciate it. That would mean a lot to have something visual there.”
“I always say carve his name in your heart, not in stone,” she added. “But it would be nice to have something to mark his presence there.”
Saunders, said the story prompted him to have a conversation with his family about helping the Garners.
“In these type of incidents people get fired up and demand change, but lost in the moment are the people who are most affected by it,” Saunders, 60, told The News.
Saunders’ offer comes three days shy of the one-year anniversary of Garner’s death. He died July 17, 2014, after he was placed in a banned chokehold by NYPD Officer Daniel Pantaleo.
