The AFC South is again pitching in to help out one of their own.
The Jacksonville Jaguars, Tennessee Titans and Indianapolis Colts are combining to donate $100,000 to the Houston Harris County 2021 Winter Storm Relief Fund to help residents impacted by the severe winter weather that hit the state last week.
The NFL Foundation also is matching the donation.
“As our community continues to recover from the devastating events of last week, we are grateful for the support from our AFC South family as well as the NFL Foundation,” Houston Texans chairman and CEO Cal McNair said in a statement. “I am very proud that our division and the NFL consistently act as one team with one mission — take care of each other. This is part of who we are.”
Per its website, the Houston Harris County Winter Storm Relief Fund will focus on grants to local non-profits that will help families that need additional help from the storm damage to recover. It includes helping with home repairs and supplementing help from other local and federal efforts. The Washington Post reported last Sunday that at least 58 people died in the two major winter storms that struck the country. Thirty-two of the people killed lived in Texas, where power outages left many without heat in freezing temperatures.
“It is an honor to join our colleagues in the AFC South and at the NFL Foundation in supporting the Houston community as they recover from the devastating effects of the winter storm,” said Titans controlling owner Amy Adams Strunk. “As a native of the area, I know the region will overcome the stunning amount of damage to families and property, and the entire Titans family is thinking of them during this difficult time.”
Colts owner Jim Irsay and Jaguars owner Shad Khan also released statements in support of Houston residents.
“While we regularly square off against our division rivals on Sundays in the fall, some things are bigger than football, and now is one of those times,” Irsay said. “The Colts are happy and proud to join with the Jaguars and Titans organizations as well as the NFL Foundation to assist our NFL family in Houston that is facing enormous challenges right now. All of us here in Indianapolis are thinking of and praying for the Houston community and others throughout Texas who have been impacted.”
Said Khan: “Houston has endured some difficult times recently, but it always bounces back, and I am confident that will be the case again. … Everyone in Jacksonville is a Houston fan today as we get through this together.”
This is not the first time AFC South rivals have teamed up to help one of their members. The Colts, Texans and Jaguars made a $100,000 joint donation to the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee to help Nashville and surrounding areas recover from tornadoes that ripped through the area last March.