Whitney Mercilus and Texans teammates to support Houston students

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- Whitney Mercilus and his Houston Texans teammates tackled bar duty Thursday night as part of a charity event for his WithMerci Foundation.

The defensive lineman was joined by Kareem Jackson and Brian Peters to raise money to purchase school supplies for Houston students.

Bernardrick McKinney, another Texans teammate who helped sling some drinks, said he has respect for bartenders and can understand what the stress is like.

Mercilus echoed those sentiments.

"Now bartending, that's a whole different skill set. I don't know how they deal with that on a daily basis. I deal with a lot of pressure, 70,000 fans, but when you get slammed behind the bar, can't do it at all," Mercilus conceded.

All proceeds from the event went towards Returning 2 Learning, which was formed in 2017 after Hurricane Harvey. Supplies, haircuts and other necessities for school are given to kids who need it. Last year, $100,000 was raised and given to the special education department.

All proceeds this year will go to Audrey H. Lawson Middle School. Schools that receive the donation rotate every year.

You can learn more about Mercilus' foundation at this link.