Buffalo Bills' Safety Damar Hamlin suffered cardiac arrest live on television last week after being hit on a play. The event has sparked discussion in the sports community about the dangers of playing contact sports like football, and if coaches are doing enough to protect players of all ages.
Cleveland, Mississippi native Pete Hurt is retired now, but has a football coaching career spanning almost 40 years. Hurt has coached many different Mississippi high school squads as well as college and professional teams, and says coaches have to remember that players are more than just the number on their jerseys.
"The one thing you've gotta remember is that's someone's child," Hurt said. "Are we doing everything we can... to keep them as healthy as possible?"
The athletic trainers that performed CPR and defibrillation on Hamlin have widely been credited with his survival. Hurt says that some high schools in Mississippi don't have a full time athletic trainer on staff, which he says is an issue.
"I think it oughtta be mandatory for every high school out there to have a full-time athletic trainer," he said. "If you're gonna say safety is your number one concern... I think we ought to take that serious."
Hamlin is awake and has been tweeting his thanks to fans and family for their support.
