The Missouri football team plans to honor the victims of Monday’s St. Louis school shooting at its next game Saturday. Three people, including the shooter, died and seven were injured in the attack at Central Visual and Performing Arts High School.
Tigers coach Eliah Drinkwitz expressed sorrow over the incident and said he hopes that honoring the victims can lead to change in the community.
“Just such a shame for us to continue to have to face these types of stories and issues,” he said, via Mizzou Sports Talk. “For me, it’s not political at all. It’s about protecting the future of our country, and our children are our future. And we cannot continue to live like this. We just can’t. I talked to our staff and talked to my wife about it all the time. It’s not about who’s right. It’s about what’s right. And we need to get this right.”
Drinkwitz said he remains concerned about how vulnerable children are to such attacks at school. He remains hopeful that this decision can lead to more discussion about how to protect children in schools.
“We’ve got to figure out how we can protect our kids from walking into schools afraid. … That should be the last thing on their minds when they’re walking into a school to learn, grow, mature and become our future,” he said. “And so, just asking for all of us to instead of picking sides and picking and pointing out all the issues, and let’s find solutions. Let’s find real solutions.”
Missouri (3–4) plays at No. 25 South Carolina (5–2) on Saturday at 4 p.m. ET.
