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Thursday 31 augusT 2017

RAIN DELAY

Texans ready to head home to Houston after game canceled

By SCHUYLER DIXON The game scheduled for Thursday. New Orleans last weekend, there over a decade and
AP Pro Football Writer Thursday night had been “When it became avail- they went to North Texas we are part of the fabric of
ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — moved from Houston to the able to us, we’ve got so instead of home after the the community.”
The Texans headed home home of the Cowboys be- many guys on the team storm. Texans star defensive end
to flood-ravaged Houston cause of widespread flood- that are distracted by all The Texans worked out J.J. Watt was pleased with
after their final preseason ing in the Houston area in the events and the circum- Monday and Tuesday at the decision to cancel the
game against the Dallas the wake of Hurricane Har- stances that it became the Cowboys’ practice fa- game and get back to
Cowboys was canceled vey. The decision to cancel increasingly more difficult cility. Houston.
Wednesday. the game altogether was from our perspective to go Smith wasn’t sure when “I think it’s the right deci-
“We’ve got several mem- announced when the Tex- out and try to play a foot- the Texans would resume sion,” he said.
bers of our travel party — ans said local authorities ball game,” Smith said. practice, but said that NRG “Everybody here is obvi-
our coaches, our players, had found a safe route for “And I’m not sure it would Stadium wasn’t damaged ously most concerned
our staff members — whose the team to drive the 250 have been fair to do so. in the storm and that their about their families, their
families have been evacu- miles home. So when the opportunity opener there on Sept. 10 friends, the city of Houston
ated,” general manager Smith said Wednesday was arose today that we had against the Jacksonville back home. I think it’s ex-
Rick Smith said. “There is so the first day they had the a safe route to get home Jaguars would go on as tremely important that we
much devastation in the option to return to Houston (we) made the decision to planned. get home as quickly as we
city and the region and we and the team felt it was cancel the game.” “We’re hurting, Houston is possibly can.”
want to be part of the re- better to go home than After the Texans played hurting, but we’re strong,”
covery process.” to try and play a game on their preseason game in Smith said. “We’ve been Continued on Page 22