Raheem Morris, a defensive coordinator for the NFL’s Los Angeles Rams, has played many clutch games in his career, but this has to be the best ever. Over the weekend, the football coach helped save the life of a drowning child in a hotel swimming pool.
The incident took place at the Encore Resort in Las Vegas, where Morris was spending time with his family. According to reports, a drowning 3-year-old boy was pulled from the pool by his father and rushed to a lifeguard. The lifeguard began CPR after it was discovered that the boy had no pulse.
Morris thought quickly, sprang into action and ran to the crime scene.
“I saw people call 911, so my first question was, where’s the AED?” Morris told ESPN. An AED is an automated external defibrillator, used to deliver an electrical shock or defibrillation to help the heart restore an effective rhythm.
Morris was able to find a device and raced it to the struggling boy.
“We had a doctor on site who was able to start the compressions. I was able to hand him the AED, open it up for him, put the electrodes on the child and finally he was fine,” said Morris.
Morris’ wife Nicole wrote about the harrowing ordeal in an Instagram post, saying the child was released from hospital 24 hours later.
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AED training
Morris was quick to credit the recent CPR and AED training offered by the Rams. NFL teams have ramped up their efforts since Buffalo Bill’s safety Damar Hamlin suffered a heart attack during an NFL game in January. Fortunately, medical professionals on the scene were able to act quickly and use an AED to restart Hamlin’s heart.
Hamlin himself was on Capitol Hill in March to advocate for new bipartisan legislation called the “Access to AEDs Act.” The bill increases the training and availability of AEDs on school campuses.
Morris told ESPN how the Hamlin incident and recent tragic drowning of Tampa Bay Buccaneers linebacker Shaquil Barrett’s 2-year-old daughterhas helped him become more aware of how important it is to be prepared for moments like this.
“I’m just thankful I knew what to do,” said Raheem Morris. “You just never know when you might need that stuff.”
