Atlanta Falcons wear Apalachee HS t-shirts, hold moment of silence for shooting victims
Falcons, NFL honor Apalachee High School
The Atlanta Falcons wore t-shirts representing Apalachee High School during warm-ups at their home opener against the Pittsburgh Steelers. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and his wife have also stepped in to help the family of the football coach who doubled as a math teacher and was killed during the deadly shooting. The fundraiser for Ricky Aspinwall has reached nearly $400K.
ATLANTA - The Atlanta Falcons went into their home opener against the Pittsburgh Steelers with respect, paying homage to the victims of the Apalachee High School shooting.
The players wore Apalachee Wildcats t-shirts on the field during pregame warm-ups.
They also held a moment of silence for math teachers Richard Aspinwall and Christina Irimie, and 14-year-old Mason Schermerhorn and Christian Angulo who were killed on September 4. Nine others were injured in the gunfire, according to the GBI.
RELATED: How to help Apalachee High School shooting victims
The Falcons' new quarterback Kirk Cousins said Coach Raheem Morris told the team about the deadly shooting the day it happened.
SEE ALSO: Apalachee High School accused shooter's mother called the school, Washington Post reports
"It was very sobering," Cousins said, as reported by Falcons senior reporter Tori McElhaney. "We're praying for the families affected. The school, the community. It's a tough deal. Going to go home tonight and hug and kiss my kids."
Apalachee High School is about 20 miles away from the Falcons' Flowery Branch training facility.