Former New York Giants linebacker Mark Herzlich, a Super Bowl champion, has leveraged his platform to fight human trafficking in his full-time role with International Justice Mission (IJM).
Herzlich’s journey began after overcoming Ewing’s sarcoma, a rare form of bone cancer diagnosed in his left femur during his college career at Boston College. Doctors initially feared he might never walk again, let alone play football. After beating the disease, he achieved NFL success.
Yet a deeper question lingered. At a Pro Athletes Outreach conference, he and his wife Danielle heard the story of a young man from Ghana who endured years of forced labor on Lake Volta fishing boats as a child slave. Rescued by IJM, the survivor’s testimony of freedom and faith moved them profoundly.
Herzlich recalled the moment clearly.
“I turned and looked at Danielle; she looked back at me. Neither of us said a word, because we did not need to. We both simply knew — this was it. This problem was what the platform had been for all along,” Herzlich wrote in an essay for Sports Spectrum.
More than a decade later, Herzlich serves as Director of Team Freedom at IJM, mobilizing over 100 professional athlete families. Collaborators include NFL players like Hunter Henry and Kirk Cousins, as well as NHL standout Jaccob Slavin, all drawn to IJM’s partnerships with local authorities to rescue victims and strengthen justice systems.
Herzlich stresses the importance of purpose.
“Every single one of us has a platform,” he wrote. “The size of it is never the point. The only question that matters is what you choose to do with it. I cannot do everything, but I can do something. And so can you.”
Drawing from 2 Corinthians, he notes how personal trials fuel efforts to help the vulnerable. Survivors’ resilient faith continues to inspire him.
Today, Herzlich invites others to join via IJM’s Freedom to Play initiative, believing collective action can free children and build safer communities worldwide.
This article originally appeared on Giants Wire: Ex-Giants LB Mark Herzlich using NFL platform to fight child trafficking
