According to Deepi Sidhu of houstontexans.com on Wednesday, four players on the Houston Texans attended a protest in Houston, Texas arguing for racial justice and an end to police brutality. The Texans were quarterback DeShaun Watson of Gainesville, Georgia, linebackers Jacob Martin of Aurora, Colorado, and Peter Kalambayi of Raleigh, North Carolina, along with center Zach Fulton of Detroit, Michigan.
There were over 60,000 people who attended the protest. The city of Houston has a strong connection to George Floyd, the African-American man, who was killed by Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin over a week ago. Floyd was raised in Houston, and it is there where his memorial service will be next week.
Floyd also had a connection to Houston football. According to Sidhu, he played for Jack Yates High School as a tight end at the 1992 Texas State High School Championship Football Game at the Astrodome. One must remember that high school football is massive in Texas. The story about the 1988 Permian Panthers in Odessa, Texas, can be told in the famous book titled “Friday Night Lights: a Town, a Team, and a Dream,” by H.G. Bissinger.
Protests continue to occur throughout North America. Even though the majority of them have been considered peaceful, they are occurring at a time when the world is still facing the disease of coronavirus. This past week, Oklahoma State University linebacker Amen Ogbongbemiga stated he tested positive for coronavirus after attending a rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma. City mayors throughout North America are requesting all people who participate in protests to get tested for coronavirus, even if you may not be showing any symptoms.
