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Denny Kellington, the Bills Athletic Trainer, Saved Damar Hamlin’s Life

Dominic Gutierrez / NFL / January 6, 2023

Denny Kellington, the Bills Athletic Trainer, Saved Damar Hamlin’s Life

Some heroes wear capes, others carry medical equipment. The injury Bills’ safety Damar Hamlin suffered quickly became a life or death situation. Quick reactions by the medical staff helped keep Hamlin alive, and athletic trainer Denny Kellington deserves a big thank you.

Albert Breer of MMQB provided a shoutout for Kellington, who is the one who provided CPR to Hamlin. There was no pulse or breath from Hamlin, and for over nine minutes, Kellington provided CPR. Hamlin soon regained a pulse and was transferred to the hospital, where he is now awake and responsive.

One hero who should be recognized here: Last night, I was told the work of Bills assistant athletic trainer Denny Kellington in administering CPR to Damar Hamlin on Monday was absolutely vital.

The speed and skill with which he and others reacted = A huge difference-maker.
— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) January 5, 2023

Kellington has been with the Bills since 2017 as their assistant athletic trainer. He previously was at Syracuse University from 2005-2017. Even prior to that, he spent time at Ohio State and Oklahoma State building his career with athletic training.

The NFL world has been all over Twitter sharing their gratitude for Kellington who head coach Sean McDermott calls ‘A Real Hero.”

.@BuffaloBills HC Sean McDermott praises assistant athletic trainer Denny Kellington who provided immediate care to Damar Hamlin on the field.

"You talk about a real leader, a real hero, in saving Damar's life." ❤️💙 pic.twitter.com/HuGyPBhm5g
— NFL (@NFL) January 5, 2023

It’s incredible to see Hamlin recovering so well from cardiac arrest, and even doctors know how vital CPR was in saving his life. Dr. William Knight IV emphasized how critical that truly was in not only saving Hamlin’s life, but giving him the chance to be functional.

“Not just saving his life, but his neurologic function,” Dr. Knight said Thursday afternoon. “The reason why we’re talking about his recovery of neurologic function is the true critical importance of immediate and good and high-quality CPR and immediate access to the defibrillation.”

While I’m sure Kellington is just glad Hamlin is recovering, he deserves enormous credit for his actions. No one in the NFL should expect to perform CPR, especially on the field, but his quick thinking was the difference between life and death.