Houston Astros Light up Minute Maid Park Scoreboard With George Floyd's Image

The Houston Astros organization paid tribute to George Floyd, a black man who died while in police [...]

By John Newby

The Houston Astros organization paid tribute to George Floyd, a black man who died while in police custody. The MLB team lit up the stadium scoreboard with a picture of Floyd on Monday night, as well as the words "Rest In Power." Additionally, the bottom of the screen featured the words, "Black Lives Matter."

The Astros opened up their stadium in order to make the tribute more visible. Fans could see Floyd's image from far away, as evidenced by photos on Twitter. The team also placed a candle, flowers and a photo of Floyd on the stadium grass. Floyd died in Minneapolis, but Houston was his hometown.

The Houston Texans joined the Astros in paying their respects to Floyd the night before his funeral. The NFL team lit up NRG Stadium with crimson and gold to represent the colors of Floyd's high school. He attended Jack Yates High in Houston, which held a candlelight vigil following his death.

Members of the Texans organization also attended Floyd's funeral in Houston on Tuesday. The team did not hold any meetings while head coach Bill O'Brien encouraged his players and coaches to attend. He headed to the Fountain of Praise church along with JJ Watt, chief executive officer Cal McNair and several other prominent figures.

"We will not virtually meet — whatever the hell that means — on June 9th, which I believe is the day of George Floyd's funeral," O'Brien said. "We will not meet on that day, so we will encourage the guys that are here in Houston to go to the funeral if we're able to go to that." The coach also confirmed that the team would discuss Floyd's death and recent events during Thursday's meeting.

O'Brien has been vocal in the weeks following Floyd's death. He spoke to ESPN and explained that there are changes that must take place in several areas. Police brutality is the primary topic at the moment, but he listed several other examples.

"I think everyone has to admit their mistakes along the way," O'Brien said. "We all have to stand up and understand that what is going on in this country right now is wrong. It's wrong. Relative to many, many things. It's not just police brutality, although that's what we're talking about right now. It's corporate America. It's professional sports. It's the medical area. It's the legal area. We all have to do our part. We all have to do it now."

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