Somber in his words and tone, Texans middle linebacker Brian Cushing is hurting after the shooting death of former New York Jets running back Joe McKnight in Louisiana.
Cushing was friends with McKnight, a former USC teammate who was killed Thursday in a suburb of New Orleans during an argument at an intersection.
"Just really heartbroken when I heard the news," Cushing said Friday inside the Texans' locker room. "Good friend of mine, a kid I shared a lot of good times with. Played with him for two years in college. Just horrible. Kind of like a younger brother role to me.