RICHMOND, Ky. (LEX 18) — 32 football players from Hazard High School and their coaches are staying at Eastern Kentucky University this week so they can still attend football camp.
Their own locker room in Perry County is flooded with water and mud, making camp at home impossible.
Max Johnson is a senior football player who says many of his teammates are impacted by the flooding.
“They’re just as torn about it as I am, and some of them may have had family affected,” he said. “So yeah, it's hard.”
Head coach Dan Howard said the team is grateful for EKU’s help. The university received an NCAA waiver to house high school athletes in their dorms. Hazard’s team is currently using local high school facilities for practices.
“We needed somewhere to go for camp, and Eastern Kentucky offered us a place to stay, which was really nice of them,” he told LEX 18.
He said for many players, the water back home is still out. The athletes have also dealt with electricity outages. And some of them even have family members who lost everything.
Those challenges haven’t stopped the team from giving back in their own way. Before they headed north for camp, the Hazard football players helped with clean up in their hometown.
“That's what Eastern Kentucky does for each other,” Howard said.
Hazard’s team arrived Wednesday and will leave Friday. Next week, the football team from hard-hit Breathitt County will use EKU’s facilities as well.
