Patriots team plane flies UVA football players to teammates' funerals originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
With no need to travel for a game this weekend, the New England Patriots' team plane was used for a good cause.
University of Virginia football players and staff were able to use the Patriots plane so they could attend the funerals of three teammates who passed away on Nov. 13. Devin Chandler, Lavel Davis Jr. and D’Sean Perry were shot and killed on a charter bus on Nov. 13 after returning home from a class trip, a spokesperson for the Patriots confirmed to NBC affiliate WJAR.
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A fourth Cavaliers player, Mike Hollins, was shot but was discharged from the hospital earlier this week. Second-year student Marlee Morgan also was released from the hospital after surviving the attack.
Perry: Patriots blow big opportunity with Thanksgiving slop vs. Vikings
The Patriots team plane made it possible for the UVA football team to travel to all three out-of-state funerals. Chandler hailed from Huntersville, N.C., Davis was from Dorchester, S.C., and Perry from Miami, Fla.
A spokesperson from the Patriots could not confirm to NBC10 Boston whether team owner Robert Kraft personally donated the plane for UVA to use or if the plane’s parent company had it chartered out. Kraft has donated the plane in the past, and the Kraft Family often uses the Patriots plane for charitable purposes.
Last year, the plane was used to fly 76 "healthcare heroes" to the Super Bowl, to transport United States troops from the Horn of Africa, and to bring medical equipment and supplies to Haiti.
The Patriots did not play Sunday after falling to the Minnesota Vikings on Thanksgiving. They will look to bounce back Thursday night when they host the Buffalo Bills.
