Patriots Help Virginia Football Players Attend Teammates’ Funerals

The entire football world has rallied around the University of Virginia football team after the tragic events of Nov. 13. The New England Patriots were just the latest to assist them in their efforts to heal.

Without the need to travel this weekend due to back-to-back “Thursday Night Football” games, the Patriots’ team plane was free. As it has been known to do, New England opened up its plane to help out those in need.

“During an incredibly difficult time of mourning for the UVa football program, the Patriots sent their team plane down to Charlottesville to help players get to the three funerals of their fallen teammates held in three different states,” ESPN’s Field Yates tweeted Sunday.

Lavel Davis Jr., Devin Chandler and D’Sean Perry, three members of Virginia’s football team, were shot and killed on a charter bus after returning home from a class trip on Nov. 13. Davis Jr. hailed from Dorchester, South Carolina, while Chandler was from Huntersville, North Carolina and Perry was from Miami. With the funerals being held in separate states, the plane allowed players and staff members to attend each funeral.

The Patriots have used their plane in the past for non-team events, most notably transporting N-95 masks from China to the United States in 2020 and flying healthcare workers to Super Bowl LVI.