The Buffalo Bills assistant athletic trainer who gave CPR to Damar Hamlin after he collapsed during a game this month received a vote for NFL Most Valuable Player.
The fifth-place vote for trainer Denny Kellington came from ESPN host Suzy Kolber in what she described as a “symbolic gesture representing ‘everyone’ who carries the weight of that job, every week,” according to The Associated Press, which issues the annual MVP honor.
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“They rarely get the recognition they deserve,” Kolber said.
Hamlin, a safety for the Bills, suffered a cardiac arrest after tackling Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins during the first quarter of the Jan. 2 game. Kolber was part of ESPN’s “Monday Night Football” coverage that night.
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The 24-year-old Hamlin was released from the University of Cincinnati Health Center a week after the medical emergency and returned to Buffalo. He was released from a Buffalo hospital two days later and is continuing his recovery at home.
On Sunday, Hamlin tweeted throughout the Bills’ first-round playoff win over the Miami Dolphins.
“My heart is with my guys as they compete today!” Hamlin wrote. “Supporting from home as I focus on my recovery. Nothing I want more than to be out there with them!”
