A Nashville firefighter and Tennessee Titans fan got a surprise from one of the team's brightest stars after he and his family lost everything in a house fire in January.
Jeremy Taylor had recently moved into a house in White Bluff with his wife and their four daughters, FOX 17 reports, when a fire broke out, destroying their new home. Fortunately, they were not home at the time. When Titans running back Derrick Henry saw the story on his Twitter feed, he felt moved to help.
"I saw the tweet and I was just touched by it, losing a home is such a tragic occurrence," said Henry.
Henry reached out to the Titans organization to see how he could help out a member of the community, especially a first responder in a city that has faced multiple hardships over the last year.
"Nashville has been through so much as a community — the tornado, the pandemic going on, and then the Christmas bombing," he said. "I just wanted to be able to help someone in need and someone who has been helping everyone else throughout this pandemic."
Last week, Taylor was surprised at his fire station with video message from Henry, a signed No. 22 jersey, and something even bigger for his family: a $15,000 check. Henry's Foundation "Two All" contributed $10,000 while $5,000 was donated by Campbell's Chunky Soup, according to a news release by the Titans.
Taylor was left speechless by Henry's gesture, calling the experience "emotional."
"It's definitely been a blessing to my family," said Taylor. "I'm very overwhelmed. I really appreciate it. I don't even know what to say."
Henry was moved by Taylor's story and said he just wanted to help out however he could.
"I was just touched by what I had seen about Jeremy and his family on Twitter and just wanted to do anything I could to help them," said Henry. "Just touched by his family and wanted to help Jeremy in his own time of need."
Photo: Tennessee Titans