Los Angeles Chargers linebacker Daiyan Henley played through the pain of losing his older brother on Sunday.
Henley suited up and started for the Chargers in their 27-20 victory over the Tennessee Titans, despite learning of his brother Jabari’s death just one day before Week 9 the game.
Jabari was shot and killed at the age of 34 in Los Angeles shortly after 11pm local time on Friday evening, according to the LAPD. He was reportedly shot multiple times while approaching a vehicle.
Officers attempted to administer aid to Jabari but paramedics pronounced him dead at the scene. The suspects are said to have fled the scene and no arrests have yet been made, according to ESPN.
Henley learnt of the news when he awoke to loud bangs on his hotel door. Thinking he had overslept and missed a team meeting, he rushed to answer the door to find linebacker Denzel Perryman.
Perryman told Henley that he need to call his mother. That’s when he learned the tragic and heartbreaking news.
Los Angeles Chargers linebacker Daiyan Henley played Sunday despite his brother’s death
Henley’s older brother Jabari was fatally shot in South Los Angeles on Friday night
Jabari had reportedly approached a vehicle moments before shots were fired
Henley had traveled to Nashville for the game and still insisted on playing – under the careful watch of his supportive teammates.
He explained that football is his escape and that he had needed to take to the field more than ever following his brother’s death.
‘Right now, I’m just floating and the only thing that’s consistent right now in my life, and this is crazy to say, is football,’ Henley said after the game.
‘So for me, that’s why I’m out there is because this is the most consistent thing I’ve got in my life right now is football. And I’m just trying to make the most of it.’
The win ended up being one of his most impressive performances. Henley finished with a sack, a pass deflection and seven tackles.
Following his sack of Titans quarterback Cam Ward, Henley dropped to his knees and prayed, saying that he ‘wanted to talk to my brother one more time.’
He called Jabari his best friend. ‘I called him a protector. One thing, he was a protector of our family,’ Daiyan said, via ESPN.
Henley grew up with three siblings, two older brothers, Jabari and Michael, and a younger sister, Cherysh.
Henley shared a photo of himself with a towel over his head following Sunday’s victory
The linebacker is pictured arriving for the Chargers’ game against the Tennessee Titans
Henley’s father is Eugene Henley, a record executive who has worked with prominent rappers
Daiyan and Jabari are the sons of Eugene ‘Big U’ Henley — founder of Big U Enterprise and a major figure in the Los Angeles rap and street community — and his wife, Stacey Henley.
The elder Henley, a record executive, has worked with many prominent West Coast rappers, including Snoop Dogg, Kurupt and the late Nipsey Hussle. He also helped produce and was featured in the 2021 FX documentary series ‘Hip Hop Uncovered.’
Eugene is also a former leader of the Rollin’ 60s Neighborhood Crips, a Los Angeles gang, and was arrested in March and charged with 43 counts of running a criminal enterprise that committed a series of racketeering crimes, including extortion, human trafficking, fraud and the 2021 murder of a rap artist.
Eugene is being held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in downtown Los Angeles, according to the Federal Bureau of Prisons. He has denied the accusations.
Authorities have not confirmed whether Jabari’s shooting was gang-related.
Daiyan Henley was the Chargers’ third-round pick in 2023 out of Washington State, and he has started every game since the start of the 2024 season.
It’s been a challenging year for Henley who played through illness in a 20-9 win over the Las Vegas Raiders in the second game of the season. He said the Chargers’ organization has been there for him from ownership on down, and Henley credited coach Jim Harbaugh with being there for him repeatedly.
‘He’s probably been the first call I’ve gotten for every situation,’ Henley said. ‘He’s been there, right there and just told me, keep my head down, keep grinding, keep working, and try to stay consistent.’
