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While NFL Honors is mostly about celebrating the league’s top stars, the crowd at this year’s event saved its biggest applause for the heroes who too often go unrecognized.
The medical and athletic training staff of the Buffalo Bills and Cincinnati Bengals and some of the staff from the University of Cincinnati Medical Center that saved Bills safety Damar Hamlin life were recognized on stage Thursday night at Symphony Hall in Phoenix.
Hamlin then joined them on stage and received an ovation of his own.
“Every day I am amazed that my experiences could encourage so many others across the country and even across the world,” Hamlin said. “Encourage to pray, encourage to spread love, and encourage to keep fighting no matter the circumstances. Sudden cardiac arrest was nothing I would have ever chosen to be a part of my story, but that’s because sometimes our own visions are too small even when we think we are seeing the bigger picture.
“My vision was about playing in the NFL and being the best player that I could be, but God’s plan was to have a purpose greater than any game in this world.”
Hamlin collapsed on the field and suffered cardiac arrest during the first quarter of the Buffalo Bills’ Week 17 game at the Cincinnati Bengals on Jan. 2. The game was postponed and ultimately canceled
Bills assistant athletic trainer Denny Kellington, who received a fifth-place vote for the NFL’s MVP award from ESPN’s Suzy Kolber, performed life-saving CPR on Hamlin. A variety of first responders, as well as Bills athletic, training and medical staff members, plus medical personnel and health-care providers all played a role in Hamlin’s recovery.
Hamlin stayed at UC Medical Center for almost a week after the medical emergency. He then flew back to Buffalo, New York, and spent about two days at Buffalo General Medical Center/Gates Vascular Institute, before being discharged Jan. 11.
During his speech Thursday night, Hamlin shared…
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