The Atlanta Falcons prevailed over the Chicago Bears last Sunday, and they had a new team member helping guide them from the sidelines -- Robb Elementary shooting survivor Daniel ‘Tres’ Ruiz.
Daniel was invited by the team to be an honorary captain during the match in Atlanta at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
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His favorite NFL team is the Falcons, and after having survived the unthinkable Robb Elementary tragedy on May 24, he was invited to meet the players in June during an in-person practice.
It wasn’t until last week when Daniel heard from his favorite team again, through an unexpected video call from Falcons fullback Kevin Smith.
“Yo Tres, it’s K Smith, your friend, Atlanta Falcons fullback. Just hoping that life is treating you and the family well. I know you’ve been watching us on TV and following us, and we just thought it’d be cool if you come see us live in-person,” Smith said in the video. “But not only that, we want you to be our honorary captain this weekend as we face off with the Bears. It’d be an honor for us to host you. We’re looking forward to it. We miss you. We love you, and God bless. See you soon.”
Daniel was speechless when watching the video call. He asked his mom after watching the video message, “Wait, so we’re going back [to Atlanta]?”
His mom eagerly replied “Yes!” and said they would leave the next day.
During Sunday’s game, he was seen standing on the sidelines and walking out with the players. The Falcons claimed a 27-24 victory over the Bears.
You can watch the video of the call with Smith below:
Daniel “Tres” is a survivor of the Robb Elementary School tragedy in Uvalde, Texas
— Atlanta Falcons (@AtlantaFalcons) November 21, 2022
He's a huge Falcons fan and on Sunday, we were honored to have him as our honorary captain pic.twitter.com/uqrDVqC3gS