LOOK: Texans Partner with Nonprofit For Local Elemantary School Picture Day

Ahead of Week 2 against the Indianapolis Colts at home, the Houston Texans took a visit to Blackshear Elementary to make a typically dreaded school day a special one.
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No matter how you spin it, elementary school picture day carries a negative connotation. 

Whether it's the preparation aspect of the non-typical class day or the nervous feeling that follow while waiting for it to come through the mail, students aren't necessarily fond of the occasion. 

But for Blackshear Elementary students Tuesday morning, the Houston Texans made sure that wasn't the case.

Players including Maliek Collins, Jerry Hughes and even rookie Will Anderson Jr. took a visit to the local elementary school to pose for pictures, meet with students and make the day even more special for the youth.

The team didn't do it alone, however. Houston partnered with CoolxDad — a Houston-based nonprofit — to make it possible. 

"CoolxDad's purpose is to help correct the distorted image of black and brown families and debunk the myth that the black father is absent, disinterested, and disinvested in his heritage or his legacy," the Texans wrote on their website

CoolxDad and the Texans have been partnered in the past, as the team donated $10,000 to the organization last December as a way to give back to its cause.

Now, both parties took part in making an ordinary day at school a special one in their own city — where they're set to play their first game in NRG Stadium this season.

"I'm excited," Anderson Jr. said. "It's the first home game.. I want all the fans to come out. We're going to have [NRG] rocking. We just ask for all of y'all to be cheering for us, man. ... It really helps us a lot."

Houston will take to home field Sunday afternoon against the Indianapolis Colts for Week 2 of its 2023 campaign. There, coach DeMeco Ryans and company will look to earn their first win of the year. Kickoff is set for for 12 p.m. CST.


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Matt Guzman
MATT GUZMAN

Matt Guzman is a 19-year-old sports journalist and storyteller from Austin, Texas. He is currently a sophomore at the University of Missouri pursuing a degree in journalism with a sports writing and reporting emphasis, along with a sports analytics certificate. He serves as a staff writer and reporter for the SI/FanNation network covering collegiate sports, pro football and pro basketball.