Among the excitement and pageantry of the annual SEC Media Days conference in Atlanta, football players at the University of Texas used their platform to show support to the victims of the devastating Hill Country floods.
Texas safety Michael Taaffe made headlines by wearing a custom-made orange tie with the initials of the 27 counselors and campers who lost their lives at Camp Mystic over the Fourth of July weekend.
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Texas DB Michael Taaffe is wearing a tie at SEC Media Days with the initials of the campers & counselors who died at Camp Mystic in the Texas floods🧡
— On3 (@On3sports) July 15, 2025
(via @levonwhitt_tv) https://t.co/pEVRDURnuN pic.twitter.com/Tz7Dz2Fshs
Taaffe explained his reasoning for wearing the unique tie to reporters, saying he wanted to honor the campers who lost their lives.
“[The campers] were there to just have fun and praise the Lord... I wanted to shed light on everyone who passed away,” he said.
He also recognized fallen counselors Chloe Childress and Katherine Ferruzzo, both of whom were set to attend UT Austin in the fall.
“They were about to join the church that I attend. They were about to join the campus ministry that I went to at Texas,” he said. “They wake up in the middle of the night, and all of a sudden, they’ve got to save lives. They should be remembered as heroes.”
Texas safety Michael Taaffe is wearing a tie at SEC Media Days with the initials of the campers and counselors from Camp Mystic who died in the recent floods. pic.twitter.com/g5nleDO1bh
— Anwar Richardson (@AnwarRichardson) July 15, 2025
The Austin-area native attended the conference alongside fellow players and Texas’ head coach, Steve Sarkisian.
“What Michael does never surprises me,” Sarkisian said at the press conference. “He takes action, he follows up with his words with action.”
Taaffe told reporters that his tie was made for free by Austin-based boutique Anderson Parker. KPRC 2 reached out to Anderson Parker, who confirmed that they made the tie.
They reportedly made four custom ties for football players, and Taaffe caught the attention of reporters by leaving his on all day.
“[Taaffe] reached out and said, ‘Hey, we want to do this,’” a representative at Anderson Parker told KPRC 2.
The boutique has also done other acts of charity for the Hill Country floods. On Monday, they hosted a sidewalk sale, with 100% of proceeds going to the Kerr County Flood Relief Fund.
After raising more than $15,000, the boutique’s owners rounded up to a $20,000 donation.
