Odell Beckham Jr sends strong message following Uvalde school shooting
Like many in America this past week, NFL receiver Odell Beckham went through a wide range of emotions after hearing about a school shooting in Uvalde, Texas. Beckham opened up about his thoughts on the recent tragedy in a pair of tweets, summarizing the rest of the country’s feelings with a powerful message.
“Reading the details of what went on, just makes me sick to my stomach!” Beckham wrote. “How do we get things changed, how many voices have to be heard to get sh*t changed! …Give extra love to the ones we love today. Life’s just so damn short! Prayers up for the families suffering in these times. Truly heartbreaking.”
This past Tuesday, a gunman entered Robb Elementary School through a back door that was left propped open. Hours later, 21 people were confirmed to be dead — including 19 students. It was the latest in what has become a terrifying trend of mass shootings and left people across the country asking how this could happen again.
Beckham was far from the only NFL player to get involved in the conversation about the Uvalde shooting, as Cardinals defensive end JJ Watt also tweeted his thoughts. Watt spent the first 10 years of his career in Houston, so the tragedy hits closer to home for him than most. The Texans also tweeted their own message, as did the Dallas Cowboys.
Several members of the Cowboys gave their own thoughts in an interview, including head coach Mike McCarthy and quarterback Dak Prescott.
“If yesterday and two weeks ago and all of what we’ve been through hasn’t been a call for each and every one of us for help, for our neighborhood and what’s going on with them individually and how we’re protecting, policing and serving one another throughout our community, something has to be done and a change has to happen now,” Prescott said. “It’s just a lot to take in, especially to bring to your kids’ attention. I don’t want my kids to be fearful of going to school and looking over their shoulder every time they’re in class. They’re too young to have that type of responsibility.”
Shootings such as this have caused the conversation about gun control to come to the forefront of everyone’s minds, though there are differing opinions on what the solution should be. One thing that Prescott believes everyone can agree on, however, is that this has to stop.
“I don’t know how something like that doesn’t impact everyone, I don’t care if you’re an athlete or not,” he said. “We’re talking about children. We’re talking about the future. I mean, I don’t have kids and can’t imagine having to send my kid to school with that anxiety. Honestly, it makes me fearful to have children, and that’s not right. That’s sad.”