University of San Diego Women’s Volleyball Team Joins U.S. Attorney’s Office and City Attorney’s Office to Launch Fentanyl Awareness Campaign

SAN DIEGO – The U.S. Attorney’s Office, San Diego City Attorney’s Office and Olé Foundation for the University of San Diego today launched a social media campaign featuring members of USD’s women’s volleyball team to promote fentanyl awareness and overdose prevention. The campaign coincides with the fourth annual National Fentanyl Awareness Day on April 29.

The goal of this joint effort is to raise awareness of the dangers of fentanyl, to reduce accidental use or overdose, and in the event of an overdose, to educate students on how to save lives in an emergency.

“These student athletes are terrific ambassadors for the messages of fentanyl awareness and prevention,” said U.S. Attorney Adam Gordon, “We are making progress every day in preventing accidental fentanyl poisonings, and we are grateful for such committed partners like the City Attorney’s Office and the University of San Diego knowing that their actions will help save lives.”

“Fentanyl continues to claim lives across our communities, and awareness is one of the most powerful tools we have to fight back,” said City Attorney Heather Ferbert. “We’re proud to partner with the Department of Justice and the University of San Diego’s student athletes to share life-saving information. By working together, we can help prevent tragedy and protect our community”.

The student athletes are showcased in a video filmed at various locations on USD’s campus, each reciting a line about the dangers of fentanyl, recognizing the signs of an overdose, and the importance of naloxone (also known by the brand name Narcan).

Naloxone is an opioid overdose reversal medication, available either as a nasal spray or an injector. Many pharmacies carry naloxone. In California, you can get naloxone from a pharmacist without a prescription. It is also possible to get naloxone from community-based distribution programs, local public health groups, or local health departments, free of charge. For more information about naloxone and how to get training on using it, visit: Naloxone Information.

In the public service announcements, the student athletes state the following:

Winning at the Division One level takes a lot of skill, a team committed to excellence, and maybe a little luck.

Because I know some of us have our superstitions

I must have this meal before every game

I always put my left shoe on before my right shoe

But the one thing I will not do is try my luck with a pill that I didn’t get at a pharmacy

That’s because what you might think are common medicines like Adderall, Xanax, or Percocet

Could contain a deadly amount of fentanyl

Taking drugs is a risk that we just won’t take.

Fentanyl doesn’t care about the win or the loss. It doesn’t care about your age. It doesn’t care about your family, teammates, or friends. It doesn’t care if you get lucky the first time.

As a student athlete, I know I set an example to those around me, on our team and in our community.

Know what Narcan is, and how to use it – or know who to call to get help.

And know what those overdose signs are, like someone you can’t arouse, snoring sounds, shortness of breath, vomiting or turning blue. You have the power to keep our community safe.

We here at USD are all members of the same team.

And safety isn’t about luck, it’s about knowledge and prevention.

Just remember, if you are ever in doubt, call 911.

Let’s take luck out of it

We are teaming up to save lives from fentanyl

Because as a USD Torero, we know it takes a team.

This campaign uses the hashtags #TakesMoreThanLuck #ItTakesATeam. The social media public service announcement can be found here.

The campaign is being deployed over social media platforms, including Instagram, X (formerly Twitter), Snapchat, LinkedIn, and YouTube, by the individual student-athletes, the Department of Justice, the University of San Diego Athletic Department, and other coalition members.

This is the third time that the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the City Attorney’s Office have teamed up to feature student athletes in partnership with an NIL collective. For this social media campaign, the offices partnered with the Olé Foundation at USD, which is dedicated to empowering student-athletes by providing education, resources, and guidance to navigate the evolving landscape of NIL opportunities. The department helps scholar-athletes maximize their personal brand, ensuring they make informed decisions while maintaining integrity and balancing their academic and athletic commitments. Through strategic partnerships, mentorship, and compliance support, the department prepares student-athletes for success in the NIL space and beyond.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office and the City Attorney’s Office have previously partnered with the SDSU women’s soccer team, Aztec Link, the SDSU men’s basketball team and their NIL collective, the MESA Foundation, to create similar public service announcements and media campaigns that at the time were the first such collaborations of their kind. The campaigns have since received over a million impressions.

Additional fentanyl prevention resources can be found at San Diego County’s Community & Parent Toolkits, which are available in both English and Spanish.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office’s participation in the social media campaign with USD’s NIL Department is not an endorsement of any product, service, or enterprise associated with the department.