Former Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Dan Orlovsky, now an ESPN analyst, called an audible of sorts on air in support of Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin.
Orlovsky, a member of the Bucs in 2012 and 2013, offered a prayer on air for Hamlin, which went viral on social media. Hamlin collapsed during a Monday, January 2, game against the Cincinnati Bengals, and he received CPR for almost 10 minutes before an ambulance transported him to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center. Prayers and support from around the NFL and beyond ensued since Hamlin’s emergency.
“I heard the Buffalo Bills organization say that we believe in prayer, and maybe this is not the right thing to do, but it’s just on my heart and I want to pray for Damar Hamlin right now. I’m going to do it out loud, I’m going to close my eyes and bow my head, and I’m just going to pray for him,” Orlovsky said on ESPN’s “NFL Live” on Tuesday.
Wow! Dan Orlovsky just prayed for Damar Hamlin live on @ESPN! 🙏🙏🙏
Hamlin has improved amid the medical treatment, prayers, and support. He first awoke on Wednesday and has movement in his head and extremities according to doctors.
Hamlin improved enough on Friday to breathe without a breathing tube, and he spoke to the Bills via a video conference. He told the players “love you boys” according to head coach Sean McDermott.
“I probably won’t be able to do it justice,” McDermott told the media on Friday, “but just to see Damar, No. 1, through my own eyes, it was something I was hoping to see and kind of something I needed to see … and to see the players’ reaction, they stood up right away and started clapping for him and yelling some things.”
As the news made its way around the league, Bucs head coach Todd Bowles expressed his pleasure at the news.
“That’s outstanding [that the breathing tube is out]. I mean, that’s outstanding,” Bowles told reporters on Friday. “There’s nothing better to see than to have somebody survive on TV when you see that happen, especially in this sport — really in life, period. So, it’s not just this sport, but anytime somebody comes out the other end like that, you’ve got to be happy for him.”
Hamlin Keeps Improving, Bills to Honor Him With Patch
Hamlin has more treatment ahead at the UC Medical Center, but his progress from cardiac arrest has been “steady” and “remarkable” according to physicians via a statement from the Bills.
We’ll be wearing a special “3” patch on Sunday for our guy @HamlinIsland.
There will be a number of tributes for Damar Hamlin across the NFL during Week 18: t.co/YhD5s9k2jx
The Bills will wear a patch with Hamlin’s No. 3 in Week 18, the team announced on Friday. The NFL won’t make up the Bills’ Week 17 game, which means playoff teams such as the Bucs will stay on schedule for Wild Card Weekend, January 14-16.
Orlovsky Garners Support From NFL Media Peers
Videos of Orlovsky’s prayer hit the millions on various social media platforms, and reaction from his NFL media peers shined through.
“Dan Orlovsky didn’t just send off a ‘praying for Damar Hamlin’ tweet. He paused during NFL Live, bowed his head, and prayed. Powerful, brave, and genuine,” Outkick’s Mark Harris wrote on Twitter.
Rod Maaddi, an Associated Press sports writer, who also has his own podcast, “Faith on the Field”, also praised Orlovsky.
“Proud of you, bro. ‘For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them,'” Maadi wrote, referencing a Bible verse.
In Hamlin’s case, it was millions amid the outpouring of prayer, which Bally Sports’ Brooke Fletcher highlighted in her Twitter comment, “power of prayer”. High-profile athletes such as Bucs quarterback Tom Brady and Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James called for and/or offered prayers as did millions of fans and people beyond sports.
“If we didn’t believe that prayer didn’t work, we wouldn’t ask this of you, God. I believe in prayer. We believe in prayer. We lift up Damar Hamlin’s name in Your name. Amen,” Orlovsky concluded in his prayer for Hamlin.
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Ex-Bucs QB Goes Viral in Support of Damar Hamlin