Commanders' Henry Used NIL to Save Father's Life

For players entering the NFL, getting drafted is the realization of a lifelong dream.

As they wait for the phone call of a lifetiime, they’re often surrounded by those who made the biggest impact on their journey to that point.

But for Washington Commanders rookie defensive end KJ Henry, one of the most important people along his journey almost wasn't alive to witness his dream becoming a reality.

In Oct. 2021, KJ's father, Keith Henry, went to the doctor for a quarterly checkup. That checkup revealed Keith's kidney function had declined to the point where he needed a transplant.  

Rather than explain the medical situation to his son in the moment, Keith opted against telling KJ while he was in the middle of his junior season at Clemson. In the spring of 2022, Keith went to Clemson and broke the news to KJ.

"He took it well," Keith said on Commanders Log. "But I knew it put a stare, a moment on his face that I had never seen before."

Once KJ learned the severity of Keith's health situation, he immediately spurred into action, using his name, image and likeness to raise money and awareness for a kidney transplant for his father.

"My family is built on faith so there definitely was a peace over us knowing that better days were to come and we just could do what all we could do," KJ said. "Being a kid who's worked through this game and built his platform, what's the point of it if you can't use it for the right reasons? 

"This was definitely one of those reasons."

With the use of NIL and help from family along with his teammates and the community at Clemson, KJ raised enough money for his father to get a kidney transplant. 

KJ's cousin, Karen Eaton, was the donor for Keith. The operation was done on July 14, 2022, according to ESPN.

"There's not too many times that I've brought my father to tears," KJ said. "But he got emotional knowing his son could help him. All thanks really goes to my community, the people who helped raise those funds, my teammates and my cousin, Karen."

The kidney transplant meant Keith could be there for his son's final season at Clemson and to see him get drafted by the Commanders on April 29. 

"Deep down in my heart, I wanted him to come here because I knew what type of guy that coach [Ron] Rivera was." Keith said. "I saw Washington traded up to get him. He gets off the phone and he's like 'it's the Commanders' and I was like 'oh gosh, you've got to be kidding me.' That was one of the best moments of my life." 

After everything KJ and Keith had gone through to get to that point, going to the team his father wanted him to go to was only fitting. 

"Just knowing immediately that my dad was a huge fan, I was like 'there's no way,'" KJ said.

Dire times ultimately revealed KJ's character. For his father, KJ did everything he could to save Keith's life. Now, because of KJ's efforts, he'll play for his father's favorite team and Keith will be with him.