Phil Elson, the voice of Arkansas baseball and women’s basketball since 2014, opened his radio show Monday with an emotional message in response to the deadly shooting at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh.
A native of Pittsburgh and the Squirrel Hill neighborhood, Elson grew up attending the synagogue. He said his father was the president of Tree of Life one decade ago, and his mother also served as treasurer. Eleven people, who Elson said he knew personally, were killed during Shabbat services on Saturday.
“Right now, sports is the last thing on my mind. … The evil that took place occurred five blocks from my house that I grew up inside,” Elson said on Halftime.