IRVING, Texas – DeMarco Murray hasn't forgotten the tragedy that befell his adopted home earlier this spring – that much is evident.
Even amid the chaos of the new NFL season, Murray cast a light on the ongoing recovery from the tornadoes that affected Moore, Okla., and its surrounding area on May, 20, 2013.
Thanks to the wonders of social media, Murray will be able to send a check for $100,000 to those affected by the storms. The fourth-year Cowboys running back donated $50,000 of his own money and challenged others to match him. Cowboys receiver Miles Austin, Las Vegas promoter Lorenzo Fertitta – not to mention Murray's 178,000 Twitter followers – helped him reach the goal. [embedded_ad]
"Lorenzo Fertitta – a great friend of mine, he matched it," Murray said. "Miles gave some money, and then I did a Twitter thing where whoever gave the most money, I was going to send them a pair of game-worn cleats. They did their job, they helped out a lot, so we raised a lot of money."
Fifty percent of the $100,000 will go to The Salvation Army. The other half will go to JourneyChurch, the church Murray attended during his college career at Oklahoma, which provided relief to those affected by the devastating storm.
"They didn't get affected, but my church was right on the outskirts of Norman, right in between Moore and Norman, so it's very close," he said. "So they took a lot of people in that were affected by it – JourneyChurch and Pastor Clark (Mitchell). When I was there for four years, that's the church I attended on Sundays."
With sponsorships including both Pepsi and Adidas, Murray said he was able to have Pepsi products as well as Adidas clothes and shoes sent to the church to help in the relief process.
Murray is originally from Las Vegas, Nev., but he has long said he considers Oklahoma a second home after his time with the Sooners. When he spoke to the media Friday, Murray sported a crimson Oklahoma baseball cap.
"I'm very blessed and fortunate to play this game, and I'm getting paid for it," he said. "Whatever I can give back – a little or a lot – it's something I need to do. I consider that my home, and I know a lot of people were affected by it, and I'm just trying to help out as much as I can."
