Deshaun Watson donates football uniforms to George Floyd's alma mater Yates High School

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Thursday, November 26, 2020
Deshaun Watson wears George Floyd on his sleeves prior to game
Press play to watch a snippet of the new Nike web series that Deshaun Watson used to speak on racial injustices like the death of George Floyd.

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- Houston Texans star quarterback Deshaun Watson will honor George Floyd prior to Thursday's game kickoff.

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Watson revealed he will wear Floyd's alma mater on his sleeves with a Yates High School jersey when he arrives in Detroit to face the Lions. This game also marks the Texans' second Thanksgiving Day game ever.

SEE RELATED STORY: Texans' 1st Thanksgiving game was marred in controversy

"I didn't go to school for social justice. I didn't go to school for politics," Watson said in a Nike web series. "But I can have my opinion on what I believe and what I've experienced."

Feeling a different level of scrutiny as a Black quarterback, Watson said he will no longer let that keep him from speaking out about social justice issues that matter to him.

Floyd died after being pinned for several minutes beneath a Minneapolis police officer's knee.

SEE RELATED: Who was George Floyd? Former Houston high school football star started new life in Minneapolis

In widely circulated cellphone video of the subsequent arrest, Floyd, who was Black, can be seen on the ground with his hands cuffed behind his back while Officer Derek Chauvin presses him to the pavement with his knee on Floyd's neck.

SEE RELATED: Dozens of Yates High School graduates attend George Floyd vigil

Watson knows he has the platform to speak up against issues that affect the Black community daily, and to help make the necessary changes the country needs.

Yates worked with Watson to create custom uniforms for the high school football team ahead of their last regular season game.

Following a 54-0 Yates win against Washington in their new uniforms, Deshaun went even further to pledge college tuition support for two Yates students.