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CNN This Morning
Cyrena Arokium is Interviewed on the Anniversary of Sandy Hook; Another ACL Injury in the NFL. Aired 8:30-9a ET
Aired December 14, 2022 - 08:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[08:30:00]
KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: That day.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
POPPY HARLOW, CNN ANCHOR: Second graders who survived the Sandy Hook shooting and about to enter college -- they're all about to enter college, right? Well, today marks ten years since the unthinkable struck Newtown when 20 first graders and six adults were murdered at school. And it seemed certain that lawmakers would right away after that pass meaningful gun violence legislation.
Well, this was President Obama after Congress rejected a bipartisan proposal to expand background checks in 2013.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT (April 2013): There were no coherent argument as to why we wouldn't do this. It came down to politics.
So, all in all, this was a pretty shameful day for Washington.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARLOW: And since then school shootings have sadly become more common in America, including in Uvalde. That massacre at their school this year, a chilling echo of Sandy Hook. And since Columbine in 1999, "The Washington Post" reports more than 323,000 students have experienced gun violence at their school.
[08:35:01]
Well, our next guest survived the Sandy Hook shooting. She was a second grader at the time. She hid from the gunman in a classroom coat area with 17 of her classmates. Her first-grade teacher, her favorite teacher, was murdered that day. Cyrena Arokium is now 17. She's about to go to college. And she says her childhood was taken away from her. She has become an advocate and an activist for Newtown Action Alliance. She also met with senators last week about gun legislation. She says she wants others to experience a normal childhood.
And Cyrena joins me now. Cyrena, good morning, and thank you.
CYRENA AROKIUM, SANDY HOOK SCHOOL SHOOTING SURVIVOR: Good morning. Thank you, Poppy.
Yes, and I think it's so important to keep this from happening, and just preventing gun violence as a whole from happening and to help our future generations continue to thrive.
HARLOW: Yes. That day, ten years ago, you lost so many people you loved. And I know you lost your favorite teacher. We have - we have pictures of her. Could you tell people what she meant to you?
AROKIUM: Yes. She was very kind. She was sweet. She was loving. She was caring. And most of all she was just an important person to me because she was so special. And I remember her and her pink flamingos and like what they stood for to her and what they meant to her.
HARLOW: That was - that is, right there, you see the images, that was Victoria Soto, a name we've come to know so well.
I wonder what today means for you as we - I hate saying the word "anniversary." This is not an anniversary. There's nothing -- it's a tragedy, but it's ten years later. I remember so well being in Newtown in the wake of it. What do you make of where this country is ten years later?
AROKIUM: It's definitely difficult, especially seeing all these other school shootings, and especially after Uvalde, which hit close to home, because it was so similar to Sandy Hook. It really affected me because I - I felt like I failed. And just to know that like something so similar happened again is very tiring.
HARLOW: You feel like you failed?
AROKIUM: Yes, I didn't.
HARLOW: Didn't - you didn't fail. You did not fail. You go to Washington. You meet with senators. You meet with lawmakers. It's not - it's not you who has failed. Why do you carry that weight?
AROKIUM: Well, first of all, it's just so hard to experience a school shooting and to relate to other survivors as well. And I think it's so important to keep fighting for the assault weapons ban as well and just to keep children and young adults alive.
HARLOW: I know you went to that vigil, right, just a few -- matter of days ago where President Biden spoke. And I want people to listen to what he said there. And the contest of this is that he has said in recent weeks, the president, that he is once again pushing an assault weapons ban.
Listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The work continues to limit the number of bullets that can be in a cartridge, the type of weapon that can be purchased and sold, but it's still not enough. Still not enough.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARLOW: He's pushing for more. And then this was president -- former President Obama just last week.
Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT: Perhaps the most bitter disappointment of my time in office, the closest I came to being cynical was the utter failure of Congress to respond in the immediate aftermath of the Sandy Hook shootings.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARLOW: What do you think, Cyrena? Do you think now Congress will act to pass more gun violence legislation?
AROKIUM: I have hope. I definitely do. And I think we just need to keep pushing them forward to pass these legislations, to improve our communities and make them much safer.
HARLOW: I was struck specifically about one thing that you've been doing when it comes to black children especially. You said, I'm trying to help communities of color to help prevent black people from dying from guns. Because we know a disproportionate number of those impacted by school shootings are people of color.
AROKIUM: Yes. And I'm trying to help these communities because it's important for children to grow up and live a normal childhood and experience a childhood that like I never had because it was taken away from me because of Sandy Hook.
[08:40:10]
And I just want to help all communities, no matter what, to help improve their safety and to help kids thrive.
HARLOW: And before we go, can you share with people what you want to become after college? Because I think it's so appropriate that you want to heal people.
AROKIUM: Yes. I want to become a cardiothoracic surgeon, which is a heart and lung surgeon.
HARLOW: Well, we are cheering you on all the way. Cyrena, thank you for being here and for standing up and fighting and going to Washington and making your voice heard. We're thinking about you today.
AROKIUM: Thank you.
HARLOW: Thank you.
AROKIUM: Thank you.
HARLOW: All right, so all of you are going to want to watch tonight because our friend and colleague, Alyson Camerota, is hosting a CNN special report, "Sandy Hook: Forever Remembered." That is 10:00 Eastern tonight.
Back in a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[08:45:01]
DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray is out for the entire NFL season after suffering a torn ACL. Murray is just the latest on a growing list of NFL stars to suffer this fate in recent days. Players on the Bills, Cowboys, Steelers, just to name a few.
Let's turn now to our senior data reporter, Harry "data" Enten, for this morning's number.
Here is the question, Harry. So there's at least four NFL players out there, right, over the last week that are now out for ACL injuries. What's going on here? Is it on the rise or it's just coincidence?
HARRY ENTEN, CNN SENIOR DATA REPORTER: Yes, this is - you know, I love these types of questions because there's kind of great mysteries. And, you know, one of those, Vaughn Miller, who is a big player on my Buffalo Bills really hurt my heart.
So, let's take a look at the numbers, right? Here are the NFL players currently with ACL injuries according to the USA sports dataset. This is not the official NFL data that will not be produced until the end of the year. But right now, according to "USA Today," at least 40 players - 40 players are out with ACL injuries with four regular season games to go for each team.
Now, let's look back at past seasons at the official NFL data and it will show that, in fact, what we see is that 2021 had more ACL tears than any other recent season. Seventy-one. That far eclipses the previous record in 2018 with 57. So, it does seem that at least in 2021 the ACL injuries were, in fact, on the rise. We'll see when the official data is produced in 2022 what it actually shows, but at least in 2021 it did show that the ACL injuries were rising.
Now, why would more ACL injuries make sense? Because we have quicker players and bigger players. And in those non-contact injuries, that, in fact, can lead to more ACL injuries.
HARLOW: Is artificial turf really a factor here?
COLLINS: Yes. ENTEN: So, the NFL says that there's now no difference between turf
and grass, but there was one pre-2020. The NFL Player Association sites the same data that -- to say that grass is, in fact, safer. So, there's a little bit of a mystery. But there's no doubt historically speaking artificial turf did, in fact, lead to more ACL injuries.
LEMON: Thanks, Harry. I don't think Kaitlan's buying it, though.
COLLINS: A lot of players themselves and their families have said that they believe the turf - maybe not just for ACL specifically injuries, but they have said that they do believe it's more harmful to the players.
LEMON: Yes.
COLLINS: It's harder on their bodies.
HARLOW: I feel like you should do this.
Come on.
COLLINS: College football, speaking of, this is actually sad, though.
HARLOW: Loved this guys. Yes.
COLLINS: This is - this is -- this happened right after the show ended yesterday and I gasped.
HARLOW: Yes.
COLLINS: It's mourning one of its more colorful personalities, Mike Leach. He was known for his sense of humor that you just -- you don't see it anywhere. Not in sports. Nowhere.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MIKE LEACH: This weather report here. What do I know? I'm a football coach. I suggest you go out and do what I do. Get out of bed. Go outside. And then you know.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[08:51:39]
COLLINS: In an interview with ESPN two years ago, Mississippi State Football Coach Mike Leach was asked how he'd like to be remembered when his obituary was written.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When people write the Mike Leach obituary, and we hope that's many years from now, many, many years from now, how do you want to be remembered?
MIKE LEACH: Well, that's their problem. They're the one writing the obituary. I mean, what do I care, I'm dead.
The only regret I'll have is that I didn't get to do more things.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: The sports world is remembering that characteristically dry humor after Leach died Monday at age 61 following complications from a heart condition. Coach Leach was known as an innovative in the sport. His refined air raid offense at Texas Tech, Washington State, Mississippi State, it's one of the first things that comes to mind. But he's also being remembered for so much more than his three decades of college coaching. It seems everybody has a Coach Leach story, mainly because of comments like this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MIKE LEACH: First of all, what kind of mythical powers does a Sun Devil have? We've got to consider that. I'm going to say the Wildcats out. The Trojan, is he - does he have a on horse or is he on foot? Does he have a bow and arrow or just his sword?
My favorite weather pattern happens to be when it rains mud. I love it. I go out there. I look at it. I watch it. Worse thing about it, you have to wash your car. Who cares? It's worth seeing. Trust me.
See, I'm going to get my grandkids one of these things so that they can, you know, my daughter, and her husband, they need to hear this, because I went through years of random noises.
Now, on Monday, it says bad stuff. Serious storms. Well, you're going to be dead in 100 years anyway. Live dangerously. I would go opposite of that.
What's that?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's a little mustache.
LEACH: Oh, yes, there we go.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
LEACH: There we go.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Coach, Minshew mania, the mustache sensation has taken over Colman (ph) and much of the country. How can you describe what he has meant to this team?
LEACH: Well, I don't know. I don't even think he had a mustache when I recruited him. I don't recall.
This weather report here. What do I know, I'm a football coach. I suggest you go out and do what I do. Get out of bed. Go outside. And then you know.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: There's truly no one like him. Like, it's such a cliche. Every cliche about Mike Leach, it's true.
LEMON: Yes.
HARLOW: When the news that he passed came yesterday, Andy Scholes emailed me, our sports reporter, and he covered him for two years. And he said, after an interview one time, Andy told him he was going to propose to his girlfriend, and Mike gave Andy all this advice. He said, do it on the phone to alleviate any pressure. He then went on a long rant telling me to elope to avoid all the nagging questions about flowers, music, seating and told me whatever answer I give about any of it wouldn't be good enough and I'd get more questions. That was him, right?
COLLINS: He's funny. And, you know, everyone remembers his funny comments, but he was a very smart guy. You know, he finished in -- almost the top of his class at Pepperdine in law school. He was obsessed with Geronimo and his approach to leadership. He thought about things like that in a - this existential way that was just - it's so much more than coaching, but he was such a funny coach.
LEMON: I like his attitude.
[08:55:01]
Why do I care? I'm dead. He's like, why do I care about what they say in my obituary. I don't care. It's a - it's a -
HARLOW: He seems like not a big ego, is that right?
LEMON: That was a great attitude to have.
COLLINS: Yes, no, yes, that's his humor.
LEMON: Yes.
COLLINS: Like that - but that was really his attitude. He was like, whatever.
LEMON: Yes.
COLLINS: And I loved what Arizona Cardinals Coach Kiff Kingsbury said. He said, the sport was better because of him, and it's far less interesting without him.
HARLOW: Awe.
COLLINS: So, just think of his wife Sharon and their kids this morning.
HARLOW: All of them.
LEMON: A nice tribute. A nice tribute to him.
OK, up next, from boy band to boot camp, one of the members of BTS heading off to the military. Hear what they are expected to see.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Boy, what a busy show. And I just want to say to my home state, people are going to be waking up now -
HARLOW: Oh, yes.
LEMON: The sun's coming up, to lots of devastation, so we are thinking about you this morning.
HARLOW: All of them.
[09:00:04]
LEMON: We're thinking about Celine Gounder. We're thinking about the wife of your coach friend and the family. So -
HARLOW: And the Newtown families.
LEMON: And the Newtown families as well on the 10th anniversary.
So, we appreciate you joining us.
HARLOW: Yes. We are always glad you're with us. We will see you back here tomorrow morning. "NEWSROOM" is now.
