Jerry Jones, Cowboys Doing Their Part in Hurricane Harvey Relief Efforts
From donating a large sum of money to the Salvation Army to giving the Texans free rein, Dallas is doing all they can for their family in the south. And the rest of the NFL has jumped in as well.
The Lone Star state is showing its resiliency and unity during Hurricane Harvey. Although Houston woke up to clear skies this morning (August 30), there is still much to do in the coming months, even years. Once the water recedes, it's all hands on deck to put the pieces back together. And that always takes money.
That's where Jerry Jones has stepped in.
The longtime Cowboys owner has already donated $100,000 to the Salvation Army. That donation was made Tuesday morning to kick off the fundraising campaign of 105.3 The Fan, a sports radio station in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. That's his own money going to work for the state of Texas. However, it doesn't stop there.
The Cowboys and Texans have a preseason game that is set for Thursday night (August 31). That game was originally supposed to take place in Houston at NRG Stadium. Obviously, that's changed. Dallas has opened up their doors to host the game at AT&T Stadium. You can argue that preseason games mean nothing, but Jerry Jones feels differently. Home field advantage is always in play and he knows it. Therefore he has given the Texas complete control of the game. In an interview with The Fan, he made it very clear that the Cowboys are merely just providing the stadium (and, by default, some fans), but every other decision in regards to the game is completely at the discretion of Houston and their team. Jerry is sensitive to the fact that many of the players and staff have not seen their families since the hurricane.
To take things even further, the Cowboys and Texans have both pledged to donate proceeds from their preseason game to relief efforts, according to Sports Day.
Game proceeds, representing contributions by both NFL teams and the players, will be donated to the United Way of Greater Houston Relief Fund that supports the efforts of the Red Cross and The Salvation Army.
The NFL community as a whole is also stepping up. JJ Watt, defensive end for the Texans, has been using his social media resources to raise money. He has already donated $100,000 to his JJ Watt Houston Relief Fund and challenged others in the league to bring the total up to $500,000. As of Tuesday night, that number had jumped to over $4 MILLION. Donations of $1 million came in from Bob and Janice McNair, who own the Texans, the Tennessee Titans, New England Patriots and even the NFL Foundation.
As Watt put is, "The NFL is a family that helps one another in times of need."