Can the Commanders’ helmet decal gesture help raise more awareness about guns and mass shootings?
Though their tribute will do little to soothe any grief, it may at the least draw further attention to terrible issue that continues to plague the nation.
The Commanders have had their fair share of off-field troubles of late, but they are nothing in comparison to the tragedy that occured last weekend which is why their honorable gesture is even more respectable.
Commanders to honor Virginia football players killed in mass shooting
According to a recent announcement, the Washington Commanders will honor three Virginia football players who tragically lost their lives last Sunday in a mass shooting. In tribute to the young athletes, the Commanders will wear three black and orange decals on their helmets displaying No. 1, No. 15 and No. 41 for Sunday’s game against the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium. As a point to note, the Commanders’ facility is located roughly two hours north of Virginia’s campus in Charlottesville.
What happened last Sunday in Virginia?
As per reports, Christopher Jones Jr., a Virginia student and former football player now faces second-degree murder charges after he allegedly shot and killed three people, while injuring two others in a shooting which occurred late on Sunday night in Charlottesville. Police indicated, that Jones opened fire on a bus after a group returned to campus following a trip to Washington D.C. Jones was arrested the very next morning. Regarding the three individuals who were killed, Lavel Davis Jr., Devin Chandler and D’Sean Perry - all members of the Virginia football team - were the young men who had their lives sadly cut short. Davis (20), was a wide receiver who had come from Wisconsin and so too was 20-year-old Chandler. Perry was a 22-year-old linebacker from Miami.
“You prepare for this job, [but] there is no chapter on something like this,” first-year Virginia head coach Tony Elliott said earlier this week when addressing the horrific situation. “So, I am just trying to figure out how to be strong for these young men...The first meeting was really, really...really tough.” Naturally, Virginia has since cancelled its upcoming game against Coastal Carolina.