While NFL Honors is mostly about celebrating the league’s top stars, the crowd at this year’s event saved some of 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’s life were recognized on stage last night at Symphony Hall in Phoenix.
Hamlin then joined them on stage and received an ovation of his own.
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. The people brought on stage last night represented a portion of the medical personnel, first responders and more who played a role in saving Hamlin’s life. Hamlin thanked everyone on stage with him and all those who supported him, adding, “The journey will continue.”