Houston Texans wide receiver Kenny Stills has only been with the team for two short weeks, but he has already made a significant impact. He brought in what should have been a game-winning touchdown in week one against the New Orleans Saints and then followed it up with another 38 yards during a defensive battle with the Jacksonville Jaguars. The speedy veteran is quickly turning into a trusted figure in this Texans offense, but that impact pales in comparison to the effect that he will be having on the community.
Tuesday afternoon, Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo met with reporters to explain that Stills is interested in becoming a partner with his department. Apparently, the former Saints and Dolphins star has been in contact with Acevedo and the two have discussed ways in which they can improve trust amount young people while simultaneously raising up the police officers that do their job correctly. The driving force behind this will be a program that Stills will help implement with the purpose of honoring a police officer of the month. This LEO in question wouldn’t be rewarded based on the number of arrests, per se, but would instead be nominated for doing their job correctly and finding ways to keep the community safe.
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.@houstonpolice Chief @ArtAcevedo met w/ #Texans‘ Kenny Stills (@KSTiLLS): “He reached out to us..to meet about community policing..how he can partner w/ the police dept to build trust w/ young people-He wants to start a program where they recognize a police officer of the month” pic.twitter.com/2zASH4ER2z
— Mark Berman (@MarkBermanFox26) September 17, 2019
“He reached out to us and wanted to meet about community policing, community relations, and more importantly, how he can partner with the police department to try to build trust with young people,” Acevedo said.
As he continued to explain, the police chief was very impressed by the fact that Stills has only been with the Texans for about two weeks, but he is already trying to make an impact in his community. He believes that this speaks volumes about Stills’ character.
Interestingly enough, Acevedo explained that this police officer of the month program was something that Stills wanted to start during his time with the Dolphins. He simply could not get it off the ground prior to his trade. Now that he is in Houston, however, it appears that this program could soon take shape. Both sides want to make it happen and are willing to put in the work.
Houston Police Chief @ArtAcevedo met with Texans’ Kenny Stills @KSTiLLS about getting involved in community policing, including Stills’ idea for an Officer of the Month award. Acevedo said he was highly impressed with Stills’ character and looks forward to working together pic.twitter.com/TOoOTmaqyN
— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) September 17, 2019
Heading toward the regular season, Stills was the center of attention in Miami. As a member of the Dolphins, he had called out team owner Stephen Ross for hosting a fundraising dinner for President Donald Trump and his re-election campaign. When this happened, it appeared possible that Stills would be shipped to another team, which is what transpired when he headed to Houston as part of a blockbuster trade for left tackle Laremy Tunsil.
Now that he is with the Texans, however, there are no issues. The team supports him kneeling during the National Anthem as a form of silent protest, and head coach Bill O’Brien loves utilizing the speed and route-running in this offense. With two years remaining on his current deal, the future in Houston appears to be bright for Stills, as well as his budding partnership with the police department.
