Deepi Sidhu

The Houston Texans wore orange shirts during Wednesday's OTA practice as a show of their continued support of the Uvalde community and in honor of National Gun Violence Awareness Day on Friday.

"We just have to bring awareness to it and understand the severity of the situation where a lot of kids unfortunately are losing their lives to something that's senseless, and we just want to make sure we're supporting it and getting out in front of it, and it means a lot to us as an organization," Head Coach DeMeco Ryans said. "As I told our players this morning, it's bigger than just being great football players. I want our guys to understand that we're more than just players. We're also great men, great leaders in our communities, and our guys are in support of it, and I'm proud of the way they represented from last year, seeing it from afar, all the way up until now."

Last year, Texans players came together to raise $200,000 for the Robb School Memorial Fund after an 18-year-old gunman killed 19 children and two adults at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde on May 24, 2022. Texans CEO and Chair Cal McNair matched the players' contributions for a total donation of $400,000 from the organization.

The shooting hits close to home for the team. Texans Director of Player Care and Sports Medicine Roland Ramirez is a Uvalde native and attended Robb Elementary. Ryans was also outspoken about the issue of gun violence and school shootings.

"Personally for me, I've lost a cousin to gun violence, and unfortunately like a week ago another cousin of mine was shot, innocent bystander," Ryans said. "So for me, it is personal, because it's near and dear to my heart because I've lost family. So it is touching, and it does hit home to me, as well as to those in Uvalde, as well."