Decision to cancel game was easy one

Preseason finale vs. Cowboys nixed; opener to be at NRG

PLANO — As soon as the Texans found out from Houston officials they could return home safely Wednesday morning, they didn’t waste time canceling Thursday night’s preseason game against the Dallas Cowboys.

Because they wanted to return to Houston to be with families suffering through the widespread flooding after Hurricane Harvey, the Texans consulted with the NFL and the Cowboys before making the decision to cancel the game that had been moved from NRG Stadium to AT&T Stadium in Arlington.

“We did not have the option until today to get the team safely home,” general manager Rick Smith said. “We’ve got so many guys on the team distracted by things happening at home that it became increasingly difficult to ask (them) to try to play a football game. I’m not so sure it would have been fair to do so.

“When the opportunity arose today, that we had a safe route to get home, the decision was made to cancel the game.”

Smith said the first game of the regular season, Sept. 10 against Jacksonville, will be played at NRG Stadium.

“The game is at NRG,” Smith

said. “Nothing has to happen. It’s scheduled to be played at NRG, so it will be played at NRG.”

Owner Bob McNair spent part of Wednesday morning on a conference call with the NFL, which gave its blessing to canceling the game.

“We’re concerned about our players, our coaches and people in the organization whose families, in some cases, had to leave their homes and go to shelters,” McNair said. “I know people in our organization are worried about that and want to get home and take care of their families.

“That’s what we’re allowing them to do. That’s more important, I think, than playing the fourth preseason game.”

More than 40,000 tickets were sold at $25 each. Fans are entitled to refunds, or they can put the money toward a hurricane relief fund. Matching donation

The McNair family will match whatever the proceeds are.

“We had said we were going to contribute the proceeds from the game, and the Cowboys agreed to it, that we would contribute that to the relief fund,” McNair said. “We just felt like that was money that could have been used very efficiently.

“Since the game’s not going to be played, that money is not available. Janice and I talked about it and visited with our family. We decided that our family would make that up. We’re just concerned about the people in the Houston area.”

This week, defensive end J.J. Watt said the only reason to play the last preseason game would be to raise money for flood victims. His online fund raising effort surpassed $7 million Wednesday, and his new goal is $10 million.

“I think it’s the right decision,” Watt said about cancelling the game. “Everybody here is, obviously, most concerned about their families, their friends and the city of Houston, so I think it’s extremely important that we get home as quickly as we possibly can.”

Because the airports were closed, the Texans took busses back to Houston. They couldn’t wait to get home. Their cars were parked at NRG Stadium.

“Guys want to see their wives, their kids (and) their families,” Watt said. “It’s going to be a very nice thing to get back and be able to embrace their families.

“Everybody can see that each other is safe, and then we can start that rebuilding process.”

The Texans returned to Houston for the first time in a week. They left on Wednesday morning of last week for New Orleans and Thursday’s joint practice against the Saints.

After the preseason game against the Saints, the Texans were unable to get home, so they flew to Dallas and spent Monday and Tuesday using the Cowboys’ practice facility, The Star, in Frisco. Good to work with

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones made AT&T Stadium available in case the game couldn’t be played in Houston.

“I can’t say enough about how cooperative, how impressed I’ve been with the Jones family and the entire Cowboys organization,” Smith said. “The way they’ve cooperated with us and helped us, I can’t extend more gratitude to the Joneses and the Cowboys organization and how much we appreciate that.”

While the Texans stayed in close contact with officials in Houston who were monitoring the rain and floods, they kept the NFL as up to date as possible.

“We’ve been in contact with the NFL throughout the week, and, obviously, the Cowboys,” Smith said. “There’s nothing more important than our families and the safety of our loved ones and the recovery of our city.

“This is the right decision, and that’s why it was made, and we’re looking forward to coming home and helping with the recovery efforts.”