Teen football player Zaevion Dobson, killed while protecting friends, honored for courage at ESPYs

Zaevion Dobson was a son, brother, friend, football player, and, on the night he was killed last year, a hero.

The 15-year-old from Knoxville, Tennessee, died Dec. 17 after he shielded two friends from a barrage of gunfire, and to honor his bravery, his mother and brothers accepted the Arthur Ashe Courage Award Wednesday night at the ESPYs. In a moving speech, Zenobia Dobson said she was there to "fight back" against the violence that claimed her son. "We as a country need to take a stand to consider the effects of gun violence on families throughout America," she said. "All the athletes in this room — you have a lot of power. People look up to you. I know Zaevion did, and I urge you to think tonight about why he died and what you can do tomorrow to prevent the next innocent young man or woman from being lost as well."

The White House also posted a video on Twitter featuring interviews with Dobson's family, friends, coach, and mentor, all of whom remembered Dobson as an all-star athlete and the kind of person that everyone wanted to be around. "You hear the word 'courage,' it can be described in many different ways, but I can't think of anything more courageous to do than to lay down your life for friends the way Zaevion did," football coach Rob Black said. Watch the video below. Catherine Garcia

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