US football star sends loud message to government after goal

Alejandro Bedoya got the Philadelphia Union off to a flyer on Sunday, scoring a goal in just the third minute of their match against DC United at in Washington.

It wasn't his goal that turned heads, however, but rather what came after.

Shortly after Bedoya found the back of the net and celebrated with his teammates, the Union captain ran over to the field microphone at Audi Field and delivered an extremely clear message to Congress

"Hey Congress, do something now," Bedoya yelled into the mic, which was being broadcast nationally on Fox Sports 1. "End gun violence, let's go."

Bedoya's message came just one day after a pair of mass shootings rocked America.

A man opened fire inside a Walmart in El Paso, Texas, on Saturday morning, killing 20 people and injuring dozens more. The shooting marked the deadliest of the year. Then, later that night across the country, a man opened fire at a bar in Dayton, Ohio. He killed nine people, including his own sister, and injured 27 more.

According to the Gun Violence Archive, the Dayton shooting marked the 251st mass shooting this year. Sunday itself is just the 216th day of the 2019 calendar year. That nonprofit organization defines a mass shooting as any gun incident in which four or more people were shot.

Bedoya delivered a similar message on social media Sunday morning before the match, too, calling for action instead of just the customary "thoughts and prayers" that so often follows mass shootings.

"Seeing more thoughts and prayers bulls---," Bedoya wrote. "Words without actions are just worthless. America, it seems, is becoming a dystopian society.

"Do something!!! Enough!!!"

He followed that up hours later with ideas for lawmakers after a user called him out for not providing a "plan" or "substance" when calling for action.

Only time will tell if Bedoya's message, delivered less than two miles from the United States Capitol, will leave a lasting impact on lawmakers.