Players Health Community:

Today marks a monumental milestone in the journey of Players Health—a journey that began as a dream over a decade ago and has grown into a mission that resonates far beyond sports. I am proud to announce that we have successfully closed a $60M Series C capital raise, bringing our total venture funding to over $100M. 

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Our story

Beyond the numbers, this raise validates what we've known all along–that creating truly safe spaces in sports isn't just the right thing to do.

It's vital for our future.

This moment would not be possible without the life and legacy of Gwendolyn Denise King—my mother. Her unwavering love and sacrifice made it possible for a young man from the South Side of Chicago to lead an organization that is transforming the lives of millions of athletes. 

I've lived sports from every angle. Played the game, coached the teams, and now I'm watching my own kids out there. But sports meant something different where I grew up. For me, it wasn't a game–it was about survival. My mom knew this. She prayed every day that my passion for sports would keep me off those streets, motivating me to be more than what I could see for myself. Her prayers were answered and brought me home safe each night.

In 2020, when COVID shut down schools and sports programs across Chicago, my childhood friend Chris James called me with an urgent message: 

'These kids need somewhere to go.' 

I knew exactly what he meant. I was one of those kids once. 

Together with my friend and Players Health co-founder Chris Pesigan, we built an 8-week football camp for 150 kids from my old neighborhood. We gave them what sports gave me: structure, purpose, community. 

But when those 8 weeks ended, reality hit. In just a few weeks, we lost five of our kids to the streets. 

Five young lives. Gone. 

I carry that weight every day. But I also think about all the other kids who made it through those dangerous weeks because they'd found something bigger than themselves in our program. That's why I really mean it when I say sports saved my life–I've seen both sides. I've seen what happens when kids have somewhere to go. And I’ve seen what happens when they don't.

That camp in Chicago showed me something powerful–when we give kids safe spaces in sports, we can change the trajectory of their lives. But we needed to do more than run one camp. We needed to transform how organizations think about athlete safety at every level.

What we do today

In 2017, Players Health launched our first abuse prevention program in Colorado. Within a week, a 12-year-old reported abuse, saying 'I had nowhere else to go.' That moment showed me exactly what we needed to do: Build a system where no athlete would ever feel they had nowhere to turn.

Today, Players Health partners with over 40,000 sports organizations, protecting more than 5.5 million athletes. We've helped implement 149,000 coach background checks and written over 15,000 insurance policies. Each number represents another kid who has a safe place to play.

We do this through three core commitments:

1. We help organizations see and understand their risks before they become problems
2. We give them the tools and resources to protect their athletes
3. We provide insurance coverage that brings real peace of mind

With our new $60M raise, we're ready to reach even more athletes. We're building technology that makes it easier for any organization, from local youth leagues to professional teams, to create safe environments for their athletes. We're expanding into collegiate and professional sports. And we're investing in AI-powered tools that will help us spot potential risks before they harm a single kid.

This investment means we can help more organizations do right by their athletes. Plain and simple.

Special thanks

To everyone at Players Health: you are truly our heart and soul. 

Your brilliance, your passion, your dedication–it shows up in everything we do. We're building something special here. Not just a company, but a place where people become better versions of themselves, living our mission every single day. I'm excited for the challenges we'll tackle and the memories we'll make together.

I also want to extend a warm welcome to our new family at Bluestone Equity Partners–Walker, Jake, Bobby, and Rob, along with Nathan and Josh from Triple Point. To all our investors over the years, including Sam from Mosaic and Adam from RPM, your continued belief in me and this vision for Players Health humbles me. We wouldn't be here without your support and guidance.

And to our clients and partners who trust us with their athletes' safety: 

Thank you. 

You're out there doing the real work, and we're committed to supporting you with everything we've got.

The future of Players Health has never been brighter. This is just the beginning, and together, we will continue to transform the world through the power of sports.

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Blessings and Love,

Tyrre

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