Texans Lonnie Johnson Jr. offers to pay for funeral of Gary high school football player

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Sunday, September 22, 2019
Lonnie Johnson Jr. heard about the tragic death in his hometown via social media
Lonnie Johnson Jr. heard about the tragic death in his hometown via social media

GARY, Indiana -- Texans rookie Lonnie Johnson Jr. has offered to pay for the funeral expenses of a 14-year-old boy who drowned last week in Gary, Indiana.

Johnson grew up in Gary and heard about the tragic death via social media.

Curtis Walton, Jr. 14, was a freshman and football player at Calumet New Tech High School in unincorporated Gary.

RELATED: Teammates remember teen football player who drowned in NW Indiana high school pool

On Wednesday, September 11, his coach allowed players into the school pool to cool off.

He was pulled from pool by his fellow classmates and taken to a nearby hospital, where he died the next morning.

Johnson was able to reach out to the family and speak to them. In an incredible act of kindness, he offered to pay for the funeral expenses.

"It's an experience I wouldn't wish on any parent," said Curtis Walton, the teen's father. "But I'm also thankful, first of all to God that He allowed us to parent him."