Gov. Abbott, Texas football coaches bring fentanyl awareness to Friday night lights

AUSTIN (Nexstar) — Texas Gov. Greg Abbott teamed up with some of the state’s college football coaches for an ad campaign warning about the dangers of fentanyl, which is set to air at high school football games across the state Friday night.

The ad features UT Austin head football coach Steve Sarkisian, Texas A&M’s Mike Elko, Texas Tech’s Joey McGuire, and University of Houston’s Willie Fritz. In just over a minute, they encourage Texas high schoolers and parents to learn about the dangers of fentanyl and practice safe behaviors.

“There is a growing danger in our communities and schools,” said Abbott in the ad, from a football field. “That’s why you should only take prescription medication specifically for you and filled at a pharmacy.”

“Just one pill kills,” Coach McGuire follows.

Last year, Abbott designated October as Fentanyl Poisoning Awareness Month in Texas, and signed a slate of bipartisan laws designed to prevent and penalize fentanyl deaths.

House Bill 6 penalizes supplying fentanyl that results in death as murder and requires fentanyl deaths to be classified as poisonings. Senate Bill 867 allow NARCAN, an opioid antagonist that blocks the deadly effects of fentanyl, to be distributed on college campuses.

House Bill 3908 , or Tucker’s Law, requires public schools to provide instruction on fentanyl abuse prevention to all students in grades 6 through 12. The law is named in honor of Tucker Roe, a Texan from Leander who died from fentanyl at 19 years old.

In 2022, Abbott launched a statewide “One Pill Kills” campaign and directed state agencies to increase efforts against fentanyl by coordinating public service announcements and educating staff about the dangers.

“Fentanyl is a clandestine killer that continues to rip away loved ones, leaving behind unimaginable grief,” Abbott said. “Texas continues to develop new, innovative ways to fight back against the fentanyl crisis and to save countless lives from this growing threat.”

From 2019 to 2023, fentanyl deaths in Texas increased over 600 percent, killing 7,000 people in four years.

Despite a 2023 bill passing in the Texas House , fentanyl test strips remain illegal in Texas.

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