NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The knock on the door of Daiyan Henley’s hotel room came early Saturday morning. Denzel Perryman, Henley’s Chargers teammate, was the first to reach him, asking him to call home. Henley’s mother was on the phone with bad news, distressing news, news no one wants to hear.
Henley’s older brother, Jabari, was shot and killed outside a smoke shop in South Los Angeles on Halloween night. Police said they had no motive for the shooting or a description of the assailant, according to media reports. Jabari was 34, a budding rapper in Los Angeles.
Not playing, not joining the Chargers for Sunday’s game against the Tennessee Titans was not an option, Henley, a linebacker, would say after doing all he could to help them secure a 27-20 victory at Nissan Stadium. He had dropped to his knees in prayer after a sack of Titans quarterback Cam Ward.
“As sad as this is, as traumatizing as this all is, I’ve got a job to do,” Henley said. “So, for me, it’s handling my job first and then being emotional after. Everything hit me pretty hard. One thing I will say is everything I’ve been dealing with this year, it’s been a long ride for me since the beginning of the season. As big as this is, I had to handle my job and get back to the family as soon as possible.”
Henley’s father, Eugene Henley Jr., was jailed earlier this year and is awaiting trial on allegations of embezzlement, extortion, racketeering and fraud. The elder Henley is a rap mogul and an alleged gang member who is also alleged to have been linked to a 2021 murder in Las Vegas.
Eugene Henley describes himself as an anti-gang leader, and he has pleaded not guilty to the charges and denied any wrongdoing, according to media reports.
Henley praised his teammates, Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh and everyone in the organization for helping him in any way they could Saturday and Sunday. Safety Derwin James Jr. said if the Chargers noticed Henley staring into space on the sideline, they went to speak to him.
“You could really feel it, bro,” James said. “It was tough.”
Empathy ran strong among all the Chargers.
“I’ve never been through anything like that,” Chargers safety Elijah Molden said of doing what he could to support Henley, a former Crenshaw High School standout. “So, I was just, like, ‘I’m here for you.’ To play the next day, he’s really tough emotionally. He’s our brother. We love him. We’re here for him.”
Henley spoke to reporters after asking for time to compose himself.
It was granted without hesitation, of course.
Henley is always willing to speak to reporters, regaling them with anecdotes whether the Chargers win or lose. Often his tales are lighthearted. Sunday was not one of those stories, though.
“One hundred percent,” he said of feeling the support from the Chargers. “They let it be known since I got the news. Denzel was right there as I found out at about 6 a.m. I got a call from my mom, and Denzel was right there, my coach, NaVorro Bowman (coach of the Chargers linebackers).
“It was a long day for me, and everyone showed up. Coach Harbaugh showed up. (Defensive coordinator) Jesse Minter showed up. Every single one of my teammates showed up. That’s why I was out there today and was able to do what I did, because I had a lot of support and I knew that I wasn’t going to let them down.”