Los Angeles Chargers linebacker Daiyan Henley, the son of Eugene “Big U” Henley, delivered the best performance of his young career just two days after his brother was slain in Los Angeles.
On Sunday, Nov. 2, in a dramatic Sunday afternoon clash, Henley finished with seven tackles, a sack and a pass breakup in the Chargers’ 27-20 win over the Tennessee Titans.
That outstanding display came less than 48 hours after the tragic loss of his older brother, 34-year-old Jabari “Baby Uiie” Henley, who was killed in a shooting outside a South Los Angeles smoke shop on Halloween (Oct. 31).
In the second quarter, when Henley brought down Titans quarterback Cam Ward, he celebrated not just a play — but a tribute. Following the play, he dropped to his knees while looking skyward, a subtle but powerful gesture of honoring his brother’s memory.
In the post-game locker room, he shared the raw truth behind that movement. “I just wanted to talk to my brother one more time,” Henley told reporters.
“It was just an emotional moment for me just to be able to make a play on a day like this, just losing him so soon. Like I said, it’s been a long year for me, so I had to just send a prayer up and hopefully he heard it.”
He spoke openly about the bond he shared with Jabari — not only as brother and brother, but as friend and protector. “That’s like my best friend,” he said. “I called him a protector. One thing, he was a protector of our family.”
Daiyan Henley #0 of the Los Angeles Chargers looks on during the third quarter against the Tennessee Titans at Nissan Stadium on November 02, 2025 in Nashville, Tennessee.
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Grief pressed in, but so did purpose. “I had a lot of pain, man, a lot of pain,” Henley said. “I just wanted to go out there and just let it out, whatever I had to get out. As traumatizing as all this is, I got a job to do,” he added.
“For me, it was coming out here and handling a job first and then being emotional after, and everything hit me pretty hard.” Henley admitted that the troubling events involving his family have taken a toll on him, deeming the past year as “the worst of [his] life.”
Indeed, the year had been a storm for the 25-year-old. He has emerged as a starter and carried the weight of family challenges off the field.
Eugene “Big U” Henley attends “Hip Hop Uncovered” Atlanta Premiere at Oak Atlanta on February 08, 2021 in Atlanta, Georgia
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His father, Eugene “Big U” Henley, is facing a federal indictment alleging leadership of a Los Angeles–based gang enterprise and involvement in murder, extortion, human trafficking and fraud.
And yet here was Henley, in the heart of the NFL, taking his grief and channeling it into work. On the field, his seven tackles, sack and pass breakup helped tilt the game in the Chargers’ favour; off the field, his tribute to his brother showed the depth of his character.
His performance served as a declaration: even in the face of loss, he would show up. His brother may be gone, but Daiyan made it clear he is playing for more than himself.
Daiyan Henley #0 of the Los Angeles Chargers runs out of the tunnel prior to an NFL football game against the Denver Broncos at SoFi Stadium on December 19, 2024 in Inglewood, California.
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