The Players Coalition have today announced the launch of The Responsibility Program, which will feature a series of public service announcements designed to educate fans and raise awareness about the injustices affecting community and police relations in the United States.
Specifically, the PSAs will focus on parents whose children were victims of police brutality and gun violence.
The first PSA is centered around Danroy “DJ” Henry, the former Pace University football player who was fatally shot by a police officer on October 17, 2010 in Mount Pleasant, New York. At the time of Henry’s passing, the police officer asserted he was threatened by DJ, but witnesses later indicated that the officer was the aggressor, resulting in a public apology from Mount Pleasant officials in 2017. DJ had aspirations of playing in the NFL and his story is one of several examples of injustice that have affected families and communities across the country.
Says Jenkins, “We have a responsibility to use our platforms to unite people and foster positive change in our communities, but we can’t achieve that goal without education. We want this PSA to generate productive dialogue between people of all backgrounds, so we can start to bridge the communication gap and work together to end these injustices.”