Kansas City NLBM To Display Vandalized Jackie Robinson Statue Cleats

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Bob Kendrick, president of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, said Friday that there are plans to have a ceremony when the cleats arrive at the museum. Kendrick said the cleats likely will be displayed alongside a historical marker from Robinson's birthplace in Cairo, Georgia -- a marker that was damaged by gunfire in 2021 and was donated to the museum.

"We have a story to tell," Kendrick said.

The statue, which police said was valued at $75,000, was stolen from McAdams Park, where League 42 plays its games. Police said they don't believe the crime to be racially motivated, based on what they know at this time. Instead, according to police, it's believed that it was "motivated by the financial gain of scrapping common metal."

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Robinson statue cleats to be donated to museum

The bronze cleats from a Jackie Robinson statue that was cut at the ankles and stolen last month will be donated to the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City, the league's executive director told ESPN on Friday.