Philadelphia Eagles QB Jalen Hurts has always been in the news for his philanthropic nature. From helping send teenagers with African roots to Africa for an educational trip to being a regular at community interactions, Jalen has been the epitome of “Good Boy Energy” in the NFL. The Eagles superstar however took his goodwill to another level when he covered the funeral costs of North Shore student-athlete Jarvon Coles.
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As per reports, Coles, a Houston area high school football player was shot dead at a house party on March 9. While the perpetrator hasn’t been identified yet, the 18-year-old suffered multiple gunshot wounds before succumbing to his injuries. As per Harris County Sheriff’s Office, shots were fired from across the street to the home’s backyard. Jalen, a community member of Houston was deeply hurt by the incident.
He hence covered the funeral service of the 18-year-old held last Saturday at Light of the World Christian Fellowship. Braxton Coles, Jarvon’s grandfather broke the news to ABC13 about Jalen’s contribution and thanked him for relieving their stress.
“(Jalen) is part of this community, and he felt it in his heart like so many others. He wanted to relieve us of some of the stress of the tragedy.”
While Jalen wasn’t part of the memorial, his presence was made felt with a video message. In the video, Hurts was heard expressing his sorrow at the incident and noted that Coles had a bright future ahead of him.
“Gun violence is a public health crisis. I am here with the Penn Medicine Trauma Center where I am learning more about gun violence on the individual, the family and community.”
Jalen Hurts’ act of kindness was only revealed today and the NFL fans couldn’t stop appreciating the QB.
Damn…
Talk about a class act. I tip my hat to you, Jalen
— Lethal Sperg (@LSperg) March 19, 2024
Jalen is the pure definition of a role model. This coming from a Giants fan
— Chris (@Chris441108) March 19, 2024
Hurts is such a great role model and it’s not talked about enough.
— Hurts Defender (@856Philly) March 19, 2024
While half of the internet tipped their hats off to Jalen Hurts, the other half urged for a stop to gun violence.
so sad, stop gun violence
— Squid (@sikane02) March 19, 2024
Let’s stop killing each other y’all. We can do better! Classy move by my QB Jalen Hurts. Let’s hope ✝️and pray that there won’t be a next time!
— Christopher Walls Sr. (@Christo22931860) March 19, 2024
Apart from being part of the Houston community, the incident must have hurt Jalen owing to his vocal stance against gun violence.
“Gun Violence Is A Public Health Crisis” – Throwback To When Jalen Hurts Met Hospital Staff Working With Gun Violence Victims
Back in September 2022, Jalen Hurts met with Philadelphia’s Penn Medicine’s trauma team and frontline workers caring for gun violence victims. The Eagles QB met with the team to understand more about the impact of gun violence on the individual, family, and community. He posted his minutes from the meeting in a video on “X” [via CBS]
Gun violence has rippling effects across physical, social, & mental health for those impacted & beyond. I met with @PennMedicine’s Trauma Team, who are on the front lines caring for victims every day. If we all educate ourselves, we can help those affected, & bring a stop to it. pic.twitter.com/Frb8i7598M
— Jalen Hurts (@JalenHurts) September 15, 2022
In the video, he also spoke about the mental health of the victims which is often overlooked during the recovery process. Hurts used the video to shed light on the intricacies of mental trauma that a victim suffers even after the recovery.
“We all know the surrounding issues around gun violence in the city and around the country,” Hurts said. “And also just wanted to make people mindful of the things that victims of it go through after going into the hospital, after being recovered, throughout the recovery process. There’s so many things I think people have to be mindful of mentally of how they are. There’s so many things. Just bringing a notice to that.”
He was also the poster boy for the Eagles’ fight against gun violence. You can find all the details about the Eagles’ fight against gun violence and a list of resources at endphillygunviolence.com