NFL Coach's Training Kicked in When He Saw Commotion at Hotel Pool - Now He's Being Called 'A True Hero'
You never know when that training you never thought you were going to use might come in handy.
That’s exactly what happened over the weekend, when a 3-year-old boy nearly drowned in the hotel pool at the Encore Las Vegas.
Luckily for that boy and his family, Los Angeles Rams defensive coordinator Raheem Morris was on site, and had received training on how to use an automatic external defibrillator.
According to a Wednesday Instagram post from Morris’ wife cited by multiple outlets, including ESPN, the boy’s father got him out of the pool and brought him to a lifeguard, but by that time he had no pulse. (The Western Journal has been unable to locate a link to that Instagram post or verify its contents independently.)
Morris saw the lifeguard beginning CPR on the boy and went for the AED immediately.
“I saw people calling 911 so my first question was, where is the AED?” Morris told ESPN.
“When I got back, we had a doctor on site that was able to start the compressions,” he said.
“I was able to hand the AED to him, get it open for him, put the pads on the child, and he ended up being OK,” Morris said.
Morris said Damar Hamlin’s on-field collapse during a Buffalo Bills game in January had helped raise awareness about the importance of AED’s and training in their use.
He also cited the case of Tampa Bay Buccaneers linebacker Shaquil Barrett’s 2-year-old daughter, Arrayah, who drowned in April after apparently falling into the pool at their home, according to the U.K.’s Daily Mail.
That incident, too, had raised awareness of the need for lifesaving training, Morris said.
“I’m just thankful I knew what to do,” Raheem Morris said. “You just never know when you’re going to need that stuff.”
Twitter users were quick to praise Morris’ quick action.
A TRUE HERO: #Rams defensive coordinator Raheem Morris helped save a drowning child, and credited AED training:
“I saw people calling 911 so my first question was, where is the AED?” Morris told ESPN on Wednesday, referring to an automatic external defibrillator, which Morris… pic.twitter.com/BIRs6W9pJs
— MLFootball (@_MLFootball) May 31, 2023
Rams DC Raheem Morris helps save drowning child, credits AED training.
Incredible, life saving reaction by Morris. https://t.co/wJ1aP9um3C
— Lindsey Thiry (@LindseyThiry) May 31, 2023
According to Nicole Hamlim’s Instragram post, the young boy stayed in the hospital overnight and was discharged the next day.
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