Texans’ Kareem Jackson: Being away from families in Houston ‘definitely sucks’

For the Houston Texans, the devastation of Hurricane Harvey has been something players, coaches, and staff have observed from a safe distance.

That doesn’t mean they aren’t connected with those who have been impacted by the vast amount of flooding. They’ve maintained contact with family and friends living through the 24/7 nightmare, providing support any way possible while based in Dallas for Thursday night’s preseason-finale against the Cowboys that was originally to be played in Houston.

‘Any off time we have, we’re on the phone with them’

From fund-raising efforts to frequent phone calls, the Texans are letting people in the hardest hit areas in and around Houston know they are not forgotten.

“You’re just kind of taking it as it is,” defensive back Kareem Jackson told Alex Marvez and Bill Polian on Late Hits. “At the end of the day, we definitely still have to prepare for each and every week as professionals, but at the same time, we’re definitely keeping the City of Houston and definitely our families in mind. Any off time we have, we’re on the phone with them, just making sure they’re good and stuff. But it’s definitely tough.

‘Each and every year, you’ll face some type of adversity as a team’

“Going from New Orleans (site of Saturday’s preseason game) and just coming straight here to Dallas and not being able to see our families in this amount of time, it definitely sucks.”

If there is a tiny sliver of a bright side, the experience is helping to condition players to deal with adversity, which is something all NFL teams face, in various forms, at some point.

‘Even with all the stuff going on in Houston, guys have been able to lock in’

“You definitely have to overcome adversity,” Jackson said. “Each and every year, you’ll face some type of adversity as a team. And for us to kind of pull together and continue to work the way we’ve been working, and going out and getting stuff done as a team and preparing the way we’ve been preparing, even with all the stuff going on in Houston, guys have been able to lock in once they kind of get into the locker room and stuff like that. It’s just been unbelievable and just kind of shows what type of team we have.”