Why We Need Demar Hamlin
And what we can learn from the reaction to his injury.
I admit initially I wondered slightly about the seemingly over-the-top amount of attention being paid to the condition of Demar Hamlin. Demar is the Buffalo Bills safety who suffered a complete cardiac arrest last Sunday as millions of viewers looked on during the nationally broadcast NFL game.
Demar made what appeared to be an ordinary tackle on a receiver for the opposing team, Tee Higgins. Higgins had caught a pass and was running for extra yardage when the collision occurred. Realizing he was going to be hit, Higgins lowered his shoulder to meet the oncoming tackle from Demar Hamlin.
For those who don’t follow football, this play was about as routine as it could be. There was nothing unusual about the play, the yardage gained by the receiver, or the tackle. The fact that the receiver seemed to lower his shoulder so that he may have hit Demar more forcefully than Demar hit him was also completely ordinary. Most players who realize they are about to be hit will take whatever action possible to protect themselves and the ball. The receiver did absolutely nothing wrong or illegal during the play.
It appears that what occurred was a circumstance so rare I imagine most people have never heard of it. As of this writing, the medical…
