5 NFL players who suffered a cardiac arrest ft. Damar Hamlin

Modified Jul 25, 2023 18:06 GMT

Everyone remembers when Damar Hamlin suffered a cardia arrest episode on the field.

Gaines Adams

Gaines Adams was originally drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with the fourth overall pick in the 2007 NFL Draft. In 2009, the Buccaneers traded the defensive end to the Chicago Bears.

Just months after he was traded to the Bears, the 26-year-old went into cardiac arrest at his home in South Carolina.

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His girlfriend called 911 and he was taken to a local hospital for treatment. He, unfortunately, died a short time later. Doctors said that Adams' cardiac arrest was caused by an enlarged heart.

Cyrus Jones

Former Alabama cornerback Cyrus Jones' situation is a bit different than the others. He too had played football for many years including three in the NFL. He never experienced any issues until doctors discovered a congenital coronary defect in his heart. This was shortly after being released by the Baltimore Ravens in 2019.

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He underwent open-heart surgery in fall of 2020. He has no side effects of the condition or the surgery. He had hoped to return to the National Football League but hasn't played since 2019.

About the author

Bethany Cohen is an NFL writer at Sportskeeda, with a rich prior 15-year experience in the sports writing industry, primarily covering the MLB and MiLB. She majored in Communications from the University of South Florida and has previously worked for top companies such as Examiner.com and Legends on Deck.

Bethany owes her NFL allegiance to the Pittsburgh Steelers owing to their long-standing tradition and competitiveness. She is a fan of old stalwarts such as Terry Bradshaw and Franco Harris and would love to watch them in the 1970s if she manages to get her hand on a time machine. She also acknowledges the greatness of modern icons like T.J. Watt for his desire to continuously improve despite being on top. She admires coaches Mike Tomlin and Andy Reid for their longevity and success.

The ace reporter credits her knowledge and love for the sport to be her biggest reporting strengths. Prior fact-checking is a big component of her process and she always scours through additional sources to ensure complete accuracy in her content.

Super Bowl XLIII, when the Steelers won the the grand prize after Santonio Holmes’ epic catch in the end zone with just seconds left on the clock is etched in Bethany’s memory forever. When she is free of her professional commitments, she likes to attend sports events and music concerts.

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Edited by Rajdeep Barman