Devin and Jason McCourty knew when they entered the NFL that they wanted to be were advocates for sickle cell disease, an illness that disproportionally affects Black Americans.
The twin brothers and former Patriots players have been personally affected by the disease. They had an aunt and uncle who had it, while their father held the trait and passed away when they were 3 years old.
The McCourtys created Tackle Sickle Cell, a campaign to bring awareness to the disease that causes red blood cell disorders, not long after they began their NFL careers in 2009 (Jason, Titans) and 2010 (Devin, Patriots) respectively.