Last night (1/2/’23) while watching the first quarter of the Monday night football game between the Bills and Bengals, I witnessed something I hopped would never happen: an NFL player suffering a heart attack immediately after making a normal tackle. Damar Hamlin, #3 defensive safety for the Bills, made the hit only to fall awkwardly to ground level seconds after his tackle. Not only was he not moving; he wasn’t breathing either. CPR was performed for more than ten minutes, after which he was ambulanced to a hospital. He still remains in critical condition today (1/4/’23), as I write. Conclusion: It doesn’t take a bone-jarring tackle to do near irreparable damage. Any and all hits, whether big or small, amply qualify. FYI: Offensive linemen incur CTE more than any other position because the quantity of hits trumps the quality (intensity) of hits.

(This normal, legal tackle negates Donald Trump’s notion that the NFL has gone “sissy” by changing its rules on what constitutes legal hits to further protect the players. If Trump ever suited-up and actually played, he’d know immediately that this game isn’t for “sissies,” no matter what rules are changed to lessen the impact of colliding players).

Of course the game was cancelled, and whether or not it’s going to get played in the future is of little concern at the moment. Damar was a 24 year old who was starting at safety. All the players and coaches from both teams were outwardly expressing their concerns for his life with tearful gestures and faces buried in tear-drenched towels. They were joined at the hip, circled in group prayer surrounding the downed player from direct view of the fans. And rightly so.

Every year many football players at all levels of play continue to loose their lives. Most are heat exhaustion related, and heartbeats have been lost before without recovery. But on nation television, a happening such as this gets the nation’s collective attention to remind itself that this form of entertainment is championed by players who know that they put †heir lives on the line every time they suit-up. Just like our first responders who get paid exponentially less.

Isn’t it any wonder that I continue to suggest to people to get their house in spiritual order. You never know when the Lord will return to collect His Christians. And you’d best be “saved” ready, beforehand, when you had your opportunity to do so. Do I hear an “Amen,” brothers and sisters of the cross of Christ?