Texans to host Uvalde high school team at season opener

Posted September 03, 2022 7:00 am

The Associated Press

A girls skips past a gate at Robb Elementary School with police tape a locks, Sunday, July 10, 2022, in Uvalde, Texas. Students who survived the May 24 shooting at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas are spending the summer grappling with post-traumatic stress disorder. Meanwhile, parents find themselves unable to help them, worried the tragedy at Robb Elementary struck a largely Hispanic town as Latinos continue to face disparities to access mental health care. (AP Photo/Eric Gay) The Associated Press

HOUSTON (AP) - The Houston Texans will host the Uvalde high school football team and wear 'œUvalde Strong'ť decals on their helmets when they open the season Sept. 11 against Indianapolis.

A contingent from the team, including coach Lovie Smith and linebackers Christian Kirksey and Kamu Grugier-Hill, visited Uvalde on Thursday night and surprised the team with new uniforms provided by Nike during a team dinner.

'œIt was just special to see the smiles on their faces because we know this city was impacted drastically," Kirksey said in a television interview. 'œBeing a leader and not just being a football player but being somebody that can be an extra shoulder to lean on, it definitely warmed something in my heart... (and) we're just going to be here with the city and let them know that we support them in every way and we're going to be here for them."

This is part of the team's continuing support for the community. The Texans donated $400,000 to the Robb Elementary School memorial fund after 19 children and two teachers were killed in a shooting there in May.

During the visit, the Texans also announced that they were joining with grocery store chain H-E-B to pay for the high school team to travel to the opener and take in the NFL game from a suite.

Kirksey and Grugier-Hill showed the team the decal on a Texans helmet during an interview on ABC's 'œGood Morning America.'ť

'œYou guys will be with us, and we'll be with you," Grugier-Hill told them while holding the helmet. 'œWords can't even describe or help anything you've been through, so we can only try to empathize (with) you guys and be there for you guys."

The visit continued Friday when team owners Cal and Hannah McNair joined members of the organization in town and the team hosted football camps and clinics for hundreds of children before attending Uvalde's home opener.

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Houston Texans head coach Lovie Smith on the sidelines during the second half of an NFL football game against the San Francisco 49ers Thursday, Aug. 25, 2022, in Houston. (AP Photo/Eric Christian Smith) The Associated Press

A couple visits murals created to honor the victims of the shootings at Robb Elementary School, Thursday, Aug. 25, 2022, in Uvalde, Texas. The community is preparing for classes to resume in the coming weeks. (AP Photo/Eric Gay) The Associated Press

Visiting from Hawaii, Vincent Rubio prays for healing and cleansing at Robb Elementary School, Monday, July 11, 2022, in Uvalde, Texas. Students who survived the May 24 shooting at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas are spending the summer grappling with post-traumatic stress disorder. Meanwhile, parents find themselves unable to help them, worried the tragedy at Robb Elementary struck a largely Hispanic town as Latinos continue to face disparities to access mental health care. (AP Photo/Eric Gay) The Associated Press

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