The Houston Texans organization is making a substantial donation following last week's tragic school shooting in Uvalde, Texas.
Texans head coach Lovie Smith opened Wednesday's press conference with an announcement that Texans players have come together to raise $200,000 for the Robb School Memorial Fund.
"Well, it said exactly what we know on the inside -- we have real, quality men that pay attention," Smith said of the players' donation. "We want our team to be involved in what's happening in our world, in our country, and that's a way to show it."
Texans owner Cal McNair matched the players donation to bring bring the donation total to $400,000 from the organization.
"Texans care about Texans, especially in times of triumph and tragedy," Houston Texans chair and CEO Cal McNair said in a statement. "I'm so proud of our players for championing this effort and was inspired to support our neighbors in Uvalde alongside them. I also know we have a great responsibility to lend our voices to important and meaningful conversations that bring awareness to senseless gun violence."
The Dallas Cowboys followed suit on Wednesday with a $400,000 donation of their own. Alongside the NFL Foundation, the team announced $200K donations each to the Robb School Memorial Fund and the Uvalde Strong Fund.
Texans players donned orange T-shirts that read "We are Texans. We stand with Uvalde" during Wednesday's practice.
"We want the world to know, we're here to help," said Texans linebacker Christian Kirksey. "We're not just football players."
On May 24, an 18-year-old gunman killed 19 children and two adults as he went from classroom to classroom at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, adding to a gruesome, yearslong series of mass killings at churches, schools and stores. 10 people were killed by a gunman at a grocery store in Buffalo on May 14.
The tragedy in Uvalde was the deadliest school shooting in Texas history, and it added to a grim tally in the state, which has been the site of some of the deadliest shootings in the U.S. over the past five years.
The Robb School Memorial Fund is an official account supported by Uvalde elected officials, the Conroe Independent School District, and local businesses. The fund has been opened at First State Bank of Uvalde for the families of Robb Elementary School. All donations are charitable and will go to the victims and survivors of the mass shooting.
The Texans also announced that players and staff will wear orange on Friday in support of the Uvalde community and in honor of the 8th National Gun Violence Awareness Day.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
