The Buffalo Bills safety wiped away tears and greeted the team onto the stage.

“Damar, first and foremost, thank you for staying alive, brother,” Nate Breske, the Buffalo Bills’ head trainer, said, according to the NFL.

“We’re not used to having the spotlight on us. We were just doing our job, but the idea of service is definitely something that is ingrained in our profession and that we take great pride in,” he added.

Breske highlighted the importance of funding for automated external defibrillators and CPR training in underserved communities.

“Learn CPR and how to use an AED because they save lives,” he said.

Breske also thanked the Buffalo Bills and Cincinnati Bengals athletic training, medical staff, equipment managers and player engagement personnel, as well as the involved mental health clinicians, chaplains, security, on-field first responders, paramedics and staff at the University of Cincinnati medical center.

“It means everything. We shared a special moment together,” Hamlin told US Magazine. “I’ll be bonded with that medical staff for life. They’re like family.”

Pat Tillman Award

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