Post Detail

Apalachee High School football team makes surprise visit to Falcons practice nine days after deadly shooting

Atlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins warms up while wearing an Apalachee High School T-shirt after a recent school shooting there before a game against the Pittsburgh Steelers Sept. 8, 2024, in Atlanta.  (AP Photo/John Bazemore)

"I think it's incredible that you get a chance to see some young kids going through some tough stuff," Falcons assistant head coach Jerry Gray said. "I always look and say, 'Man, what are they going through?' They've got to go back to the school where it happened."

Among the victims of the Sept. 4 shooting rampage was a teacher who served as an assistant coach for the Apalachee football team. 

Atlanta Falcons head coach Raheem Morris, center, stands with his team while wearing an Apalachee High School T-shirt after a recent school shooting there before a game against the Pittsburgh Steelers Sept. 8, 2024, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)

Nine others were injured. Funerals for two of the victims were held Saturday. A 14-year-old student has been charged with murder, and his father also faces charges for allegedly furnishing his son with a weapon.

During the shooting, some students scrambled for shelter in the high school's football stadium.

"When you get a little relief and you get a chance to kind of love on them a little bit, I think that's special for our guys," Gray said. "We're NFL guys, but we still understand what caring means."

(L-R) Math teachers Richard Aspinwall and Cristina Irimie were killed at Apalachee High School in Winder, Ga., along with Mason Schermerhorn and Christian Angulo, both 14, officials say. (Fox News)

"I even talked to one of the kids (who goes) to that school, and just seeing her being in such a vulnerable space and just crying and still trying to have a smile … it really sucked. I just pray for those kids every single day. The kids, the faculty, everybody there."

"It definitely meant a lot," the Falcons defensive lineman said. "I played Apalachee when I was in high school."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.