The Texans haven’t, as it might appear, struck a marketing deal with Dairy Queen.
The DQ they’re wearing on their chest is part of a much bigger deal.
Texans coaches and players have been sporting their “DQ Strong” T-shirts lately, as they try to support offensive lineman David Quessenberry, who is battling non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
The shirts were the brainchild of center Chris Myers, and the Texans are selling them for $20 on the team’s website, with all the proceeds going to lymphoma research.
“I’m speechless about my teammates,” Quessenberry said, via Dale Robertson of the Houston Chronicle. It’s a testament to the organization that the Texans are. I mean, not just [the players]. We’re talking from the top to the bottom, inside and out. I’m so blessed to be a part of such a tremendous organization.
“And, as far as raising awareness [about lymphoma], I think it is huge. I’ve said it before, if I had been diagnosed with this disease 10 years ago, my chances of survival would have been completely different. I definitely wouldn’t be sitting here talking about playing football again one day, which is the end goal for me.”
The second-year offensive lineman was diagnosed this summer during OTAs, when he struggled to breathe during practice, which led to a further tests, which led to two liters of fluid being drained from his lungs.
Quessenberry’s struggle against the disease is still in its early stages. He’s undergoing chemotherapy, and his lack of white blood cells prevents him from being around large groups of people for fear of infection.
So there’s no certainty that he’ll be able to join his teammates for the regular season opener in September.
But there’s also there’s no doubt they have his back.