On Sunday afternoon, a bus full of special guests will be arriving to MetLife Stadium as special guests of the New York Giants. Students, parents, and faculty of Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, CT. will be coming to Sunday's game against the Philadelphia Eagles and participate in pregame festivities. The Giants are busing their guests from Newtown to the Meadowlands.
According to the New York Daily News, the Sandy Hook guests along with 50 members of the Wounded Warriors will build a path from the tunnel for the team to run through as they take the field on Sunday. They'll also circle the field for the National Anthem and will take part in a moment of silence.
Tom Coughlin spoke with his team on Friday morning about what's to happen on Sunday, and the team seemed more than excited for the opportunity to spend time with the Newtown residents.
"What it really means to all of us is we were so taken aback and so shocked and felt so badly for the families...not only the families of the children, but the principal, the school psychologist, and the real heroes who knew exactly what was coming and still charged and attacked and knew what the outcome would be," said Coughlin. "To have that group from the Sandy Hook Elementary School and the Newtown community come down for this game with Philadelphia, it means a great deal to us and we would certainly like to honor them."
After the tragedy took place, wide receiver Victor Cruz had learned through Twitter that one of the victims, six-year-old Jack Pinto, was arguably Cruz's number one fan and his parents were burying Jack in his Cruz jersey. Cruz honored Jack that weekend by writing his name on his cleats and gloves along with the words "My hero" and "This one is 4 U!" Later that week Cruz drove to Newtown to visit Jack's family, gave his gloves and cleats to his 11-year old brother, and spent time with the family and neighborhood kids. Cruz still keeps in touch with the family.
"I spoke to the Pinto family last week just to check up on them and see how they're doing and they're coming along well. They're going to be at the game also," said Cruz. "I'm excited to see them again and I think it's good for them to get away a little bit and spend some time on a Sunday afternoon watching some football and getting their minds off of things a little bit."
--You can follow Kelsey O'Donnell on Twitter @KelsODonnell