NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Loud bangs wake up a linebacker. Diane Henley on Saturday morning. Henley thought he had slept through the meeting and rushed to the door of his hotel room.
There was a midfielder standing outside Denzel Perrymanwho told Henley he needed to call his mother. When Henley did, he learned the most devastating news of his life: his brother Jabari Henley had been shot and killed the previous night.
“Being transparent brought me to my knees,” Henley said.
Henley said he never thought about missing Sunday's game. It ended up being one of his best performances as he finished the game with a sack, a pass deflection and seven tackles. Los Angeles ChargersVictory 27-20 over Tennessee Titans.
After the game, Henley sat at his locker with a towel on his head as teammates consoled him. On his Instagram story, he posted a photo with tears in his eyes and the caption: “Love you big brother.”
Safety Derwin James said he followed Henley from pregame warmups to the national anthem and throughout the match to make sure that if he needed any support, he would be there for him.
“This guy has been through so much, man,” James said. “He’s our green dot, our leader, our captain, and just being able to fight, bro, it’s tough. And for him to go out there, man, I respect him so much.”
When Henley fired the Titans' quarterback Cam Ward in the second quarter he fell to his knees and began to pray.
“I just wanted to talk to my brother one more time,” Henley said. “It was just an emotional moment for me, just to be able to play on a day like that, just to lose it so soon. Like I said, it's been a long year for me, so I just had to pray and hopefully listen to him.”
Jabari Henley was fatally shot shortly after 11 p.m. local time in south Los Angeles, Los Angeles Police Department spokeswoman Norma Eisenman told ESPN. A preliminary investigation determined he was shot multiple times as he approached the vehicle. The suspects fled and no arrests have been made, Eisenman said.
Officers attempted to render aid to Henley, but paramedics pronounced him dead at the scene, Eisenman said. Henley was 34 years old.
Dayan Henley said Jabari was his best friend and one of the few people he answered the phone to, no matter the reason. Henley grew up with three siblings, two older brothers, Jabari and Michael, and a younger sister, Cherish.
“It’s like my best friend,” Henley said. “I called him a protector. First, he was the protector of our family.”
It's been a terrible year for Henley.
In March, his father, Eugene “Big U” Henley, the first-generation Rollin' 60's Crip leader turned music executive, was arrested and charged with 43 counts of running a criminal enterprise that committed a string of racketeering crimes, including extortion, human trafficking, fraud and murder of a rap artist in 2021. Eugene Henley denied the charges.
Dian Henley said he spoke to his father, who encouraged him to play on Sunday and channel the rage he was feeling.
“I was in a lot of pain, man, I was in a lot of pain,” Henley said. “I just wanted to go out there and just release everything that I needed to release.”
Additionally, ahead of the Chargers' Week 2 game Las Vegas RaidersHenley became infected, lost 10 pounds, and had to use an oxygen tank throughout the game. The infection lasted several weeks and Henley's play began to decline.
But Henley has returned to his normal self in recent weeks, although he now faces playing the rest of the season dealing with the death of his brother.
“As hard as it is, I have a job to do,” Henley said. “For me, it was coming here and doing the job and then feeling the emotions, and it all hit me really hard.
“Honestly, this was probably the worst year of my life.”
