Three Rights Make a Left

Damar Hamlin’s Monday Night Football Incident Triggers Memories

While watching Monday Night Football we all saw one of the most gripping events of our sports-loving lives when Buffalo Bills Safety, Damar Hamlin took a hit to the chest that may have caused his heart to stop. Many comments afterwards were that people had never experienced anything like that.

Unfortunately, not all of us can say that. I know that this incident will trigger some sad memories for many who will read this. If that is so, don’t read any further. In three separate incidents in my experience, there have been young athletes who have lost their lives playing the sport they loved. The first was when I was in Jr High School in Floresville, Texas in the early 70s when an upperclassman in High School blocked a punt in football practice and died on the practice field. The football hit him in the chest and his injury was almost exactly the same as the one suffered by Damar Hamlin. The difference is that, fifty years ago, there was no AED on the field to start his heart after it had stopped.

Another incident was with a Forney athlete when a rider at a high school rodeo in Mesquite was stepped on by a bull. He got up and walked to the railing, collapsed, and died.

Then, again in Forney, lightning struck the offensive huddle during a football practice leaving several players with injuries and taking the life of the very young quarterback. After the incident, the community came together and raised money through several events in memory of Clay Jones.

The injuries in two of the three incidents were very similar to those suffered by Damar Hamlin. But I have to comment on what happened after the incident this week. Monday Night Football stopped. Players from both teams got on their knees and prayed for their fallen comrade. Players from both teams consoled each other. When the league announced that the coaches had five minutes to get their players ready to play, the two of them met at mid field and took charge of the situation. They decided their players were in no shape to finish a football game that was still only in the first quarter.

There was a lot on the line, whoever won the game would likely have the best record in the AFC, a first-round bye and home field advantage throughout the playoffs. But that didn’t matter. What mattered was that these players were more concerned about their fallen colleague than about a football game.

Football fans across America have been united in prayer for Damar Hamlin. It was announced that he sponsored a toy drive in his hometown of McKees Rocks in Southwestern Pennsylvania. The town only has a population of 5,920, but as of the time of the writing of this column, football fans across America had donated over $3 million to the toy drive that Damar Hamlin sponsors.

The last report as of this writing is that Damar is still in critical condition. Please continue to keep him and his family in your prayers. But also pray for those who are feeling a triggered memory of a lost loved one.