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El Paso HS football game canceled in wake of shooting reinstated after Beto O’Rourke weighs in

In the wake of the El Paso mass shooting that took the lives of 22 people, Plano Senior High School, the alma mater of the shooter, briefly cancelled a football game against a school in El Paso citing “safety concerns,” according to the Dallas Morning News.

However, the game has reportedly be reinstated less than 24 hours later, sources told Dave Campbell's Texas Football's Matt Stepp on Friday. The game will reportedly take place at the Ford Center in Frisco one day earlier than initially scheduled.

After the initial news of the game’s cancellation, presidential candidate and former El Paso congressman Beto O’Rourke responded with a suggestion that the game still be played by relocating to El Paso, with all the proceeds going toward the victims of the shooting.

Plano and El Paso Eastwood were initially set to face off on Sept. 6 at Plano’s Kimbrough Stadium, until the Plano Independent School District announced Thursday the game had been cancelled in a statement.

Via the Dallas Morning News:

“After consulting with local law enforcement agencies, Plano ISD administrators felt obligated to prioritize the safety of the participating players, students, families and communities, and have concluded that the timing of the game falls too soon after the tragedy in El Paso,” the district’s release said.

The decision was made after a former Plano student, Patrick Wood Crusius, killed 22 people in a racism-fueled rampage at an El Paso Walmart that specifically targeted Mexicans.

A police spokesperson told the Morning News that the game hadn’t received any credible threats, but it would have featured enhanced security even if it had been played.

EL PASO, TX - AUGUST 15: Democratic presidential candidate, former Rep. Beto O’Rourke (D-TX) speaks to media and supporters during a campaign re-launch on August 15, 2019 in El Paso, Texas.  O’Rourke paused his campaign in order to return to El Paso following the act of terror targeting the city's Latinx community at a Walmart and has remained in his hometown to honor the legacy of the twenty-two people who lost their lives and provide support to the community. (Photo by Sandy Huffaker/Getty Images)
Beto O'Rourke would like to see a Plano-El Paso football game be relocated rather than cancelled. (Photo by Sandy Huffaker/Getty Images)

The game was reportedly cancelled once Plano ISD superintendent Sara Bonser expressed concerns to Plano police chief Greg Rushin about the game potentially providing a platform for “those with extremist political agendas to amplify their message.” Rushin apparently agreed.

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