The shootings at a high school in Santa Fe, Texas Friday that left at least 10 dead sparked plenty of comment from sports figures, and a couple of particularly notable comments came from Houston Astros’ manager A.J. Hinch and Houston Rockets’ guard Chris Paul. Hinch told reporters the repeated numbers of shootings across the U.S. make him angry, and he wants answers, not just more thoughts and prayers:
"I don't want to offer anymore condolences, I want to find answers" Very powerful words from #Astros Manager A.J. Hinch. pic.twitter.com/Cgj06GMBzR
— Lainie Fritz (@lainiefritz) May 18, 2018
Here’s a transcription of that from Chandler Rome of The Houston Chronicle:
#Astros manager A.J. Hinch began his pregame media scrum with an impassioned two-minute discussion on today's shooting at Santa Fe High School
"There’s no reason for our schools to be combat zones. And it’s turning that way." pic.twitter.com/HXWYJfEFiI
— Chandler Rome (@Chandler_Rome) May 18, 2018
Similarly, before taking questions from reporters after the Rockets’ practice Friday, Paul made a statement about the shootings:
Chris Paul starts his press conference with thoughts on the Santa Fe High School shooting.Says the playoffs are minor to what is going on in the world, and says we need to do something about all these shootings. pic.twitter.com/SWCrKTDe3S
— David Nuño (@DavidNuno) May 18, 2018
“First and foremost, aside from the playoffs that’s going on, which is minor compared to what’s taking place down in Santa Fe, I think our prayers go out to the victims and the families having to deal with that situation. We have a lot of fan support there. Those people come support us night in and night out, so this is very minor compared to what those people there are dealing with.”
And in response to a question about his thoughts, he called for action:
“It’s tough, man. It’s scary that that’s becoming a norm here. We gotta do something about it. I can’t imagine something like that taking place with my kids.”
Other Texas teams and athletes made statements and expressed their condolences, but the comments by Hinch and Paul are perhaps particularly notable for their push for change.
