Tennessee Titans running back Derrick Henry has become a minority owner in Nashville SC, the Major League Soccer team announced on Tuesday.
"As a kid growing up in Florida, I imagined being a professional sports owner and the opportunity to do that with a Major League Soccer club is truly a dream come true," said Henry, via Nashville SC's official website. "My investment in Nashville SC is way more than financial, it's truly an investment in the city of Nashville. The chance to be part of a club like Nashville SC, especially after seeing what they are accomplishing in the community, was an opportunity I did not want to miss."
Henry joins actor and producer Reese Witherspoon, a Nashville native, and media and technology investor Jim Toth as the club's newest minority owners. Henry becomes the fourth NFL player in history to serve as an owner of an MLS team.
Henry, a two-time NFL rushing champion and member of the exclusive 2,000-yard club, has earned the reputation as the NFL's most dominant back after six seasons in the league. The 6-foot-3, 248-pound bruiser was a second-round pick by the Titans in 2016 following a junior season at the University of Alabama where he won the CFP National Championship and the Heisman Trophy.
Tuesday's announcement comes five days before the club opens GEODIS Park, the largest soccer-specific stadium in the Unites States and Canada.
"We meant it when we said we were doing this in Nashville, with Nashville and for Nashville," said principal owner John Ingram. "Having Derrick, Reese and Jim join our group signals our commitment to being a club that is going to do things at the highest level and with the best Nashville has to offer."
