Eagles coach Nick Sirianni wears Roxborough High School T-shirt, shares message for shooting victims
"I just feel bad for the kids that they didn't feel safe, maybe don't feel safe going there. My heart goes out to them."
PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- Philadelphia Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni showed his support for the victims of the deadly Roxborough ambush shooting during his post-game press conference on Sunday.
Sirianni, with his young son sitting on his lap, took questions from reporters while wearing a Roxborough High School Football T-shirt.
Fourteen-year-old Nicholas Elizalde was fatally wounded in a shooting outside the high school following a junior varsity football scrimmage around 4:30 p.m. last Tuesday. Four other teenagers were injured.
Elizalde, of Havertown, Delaware County, attended W.B. Saul High School, an agricultural charter school that partners with Roxborough for some of its athletics, including football. Police believe Elizalde was not the intended target of the shooters.
SEE ALSO: Roxborough community steps in for victims, families impacted by shooting near high school
Sirianni, who has sent messages this season through his choice of his T-shirts, spoke about what football meant to him as a kid.
"One of my best memories growing up is being able to do the things that I was able to do on a football field as a little kid, whether that's pretending I'm Marcus Allen and jumping over the pile, setting the dummies up and jumping over the pile, taking a handoff, or if it was a giving a player a water bottle," Sirianni said.
The coach continued with a message to the Roxborough victims.
"I just feel bad for the kids that they didn't feel safe, maybe don't feel safe going there. My heart goes out to them. My thoughts and prayers go out to them. Hopefully, they feel safe going back and playing a game that can help take us out of bad situations, not put us in bad situations," Sirianni said.
Eagles linebacker T.J. Edwards also paid tribute to the victims. He sported a Roxborough football jersey during warmups.
Several players for the Eagles tweeted about the shooting last week, offering prayers for the families and lamenting that gun violence could shatter the safe space kids feel in sports.
"It must stop! for these kids, their families and their teammates," Eagles right tackle Lane Johnson tweeted. "Sports are supposed to be a safe haven."
Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown tweeted, "This breaks my heart. My heart goes out to the kids involved and to the one that lost his life. We have to do better. We have to protect our children man."
The Eagles launched a campaign called "End Philly Gun Violence" in January that included a partnership with police to host a gun buyback at Lincoln Financial Field in June in exchange for gift cards funded by the Eagles organization.
Friends and family are preparing to say a final goodbye to Elizalde this week.
Elizalde's viewing is Tuesday, followed by a burial on Wednesday.
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The Associated Press contributed to this report.
