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Wyclef Jean says Michael Jordan‘s $1 million donation to Hurricane Dorian relief is “100% a big deal” … but tells TMZ Sports it’s important to make sure that huge contribution isn’t lining the wrong person’s pockets.
The Haiti native knows what he’s talking about — his massively successful Yéle Haiti charity campaign raised more than $16 million for the 2010 Haiti earthquake, only to close down after an investigation determined a large portion of the funds were misused.
So, when we asked Wyclef about MJ’s massive donation, the musician praises His Airness for the gesture … but calls for organizers to not take advantage of people in need.
“The most important thing for me is that the money is really allocated right and we really don’t use distractions, don’t use people for patsies, don’t distract the crowd, have them looking another way,” Wyclef says.
“It constantly happens because another man’s disaster is another man’s gain.”
Wyclef says he’s praying for the Bahamas and hopes everyone does the right thing.
Of course, other celebrity fundraisers have learned from Wyclef’s mistakes — including J.J. Watt, who’s been posting detailed updates about where the $37 MIL he raised for Hurricane Harvey relief has been allocated. Watt has said he’s been very involved in monitoring the funds and how they’re being used to make sure everything’s on the up and up.