As the city of Houston continues to suffer the effects of Hurricane Harvey, the NFL has decided to move Thursday night’s game between the Cowboys and Texans to Arlington.
It's official: The #Cowboys–#Texans preseason game is being moved to Arlington. A nice gesture all around.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) August 28, 2017
The NFL released a statement on the situation today, detailing their reasoning for moving the game:
“Due to public safety concerns resulting from the ongoing weather emergency related to Hurricane Harvey, Thursday’s Dallas Cowboys-Houston Texans game originally scheduled to be played in Houston at 7 p.m. CT has been relocated to AT&T Stadium in Arlington. Kickoff on Thursday will remain at 7 p.m. CT. Details on tickets, parking and other game day logistics will be announced later this week.”
Due to the Hurricane, the Texans have been practicing at The Star in Frisco this week, and it appears they will continue their stay through Thursday’s game. The game was originally scheduled to be played in Houston at NRG Stadium.
The NFL Foundation is also matching the Houston Texans’ $1 million donation to United Way towards Hurricane relief efforts.
.@CJonesAnderson announced that the NFL Foundation is matching the Texans $1 million donation to the United Way.
????: https://t.co/9py2hEPat3 pic.twitter.com/G75Ly07Hhc
— Dallas Cowboys (@dallascowboys) August 28, 2017
Some have argued that the league should simply cancel this final preseason game, as it is “meaningless” after all. From the Cowboys’ perspective, this may actually be in their favor, considering they have already played four preseason games.
Still, moving the game seems to be the best option for all sides here. Our prayers are with the people of Houston and all of those affected by Hurricane Harvey this weekend.