Buffalo Bills head coach praises ‘hero’ assistant for saving Damar Hamlin’s life

Sean McDermott admits he ‘admires the strength’ of Denny Kellington, calling him ‘a real leader’ for his efforts to save Hamlin’s life

Buffalo Bills assistant athletic trainer Denny Kellington has be hailed as a “hero” for saving Damar Hamlin’s life after administering critical CPR to the player.

Hamlin remains in a critical condition but is now ‘awake’ and ‘neurologically intact’ after suffering a cardiac arrest and collapsing on the field during Monday’s game against the Cincinnati Bengals.

And head coach Sean McDermott has heaped praise on Kellington’s quick thinking for “saving Damar’s life.”

“For an assistant to find himself at that position and needing to take the action that he did and step up and take charge like he did – and there were others on the field as well – is nothing short of amazing,” McDermott said of Kellington during a news conference Thursday.

“And the courage that took - you talk about a real leader, a real hero in saving Damar’s life and just admire his strength.”

Bills offensive lineman Dion Dawkins took to Twitter to credit Kellington with providing the critical CPR to Hamlin.

The Bills safety lost his pulse on the field but was then revived through resuscitation and defibrillation, according to doctors.

Hamlin’s medical team say the player is now showing signs of “good neurologic recovery” and is making significant improvement.

The immediate response of Kellington and other medical personnel was vital to “not just saving his life, but his neurological function,” Dr. Timothy Pritts, one of Hamlin’s doctors at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center, said Thursday.

Kellington joined the Bills in 2017 after working as an athletic trainer at Syracuse University for 11 years, with six spent as the head athletic trainer for the football team.

While he also has experienced as a graduate student athletic trainer at Ohio State University.