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Damar Hamlin Breaks Down Presenting the Pat Tillman Award at the ESPYs

By Dustin Rowles | TV | July 13, 2023 |

By Dustin Rowles | TV | July 13, 2023 |

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Initially, the big story at the ESPYs last night was the monologue delivered by Pat McAfee, which took place in lieu of an actual host, Kevin Hart, who had stepped aside due to the writers’ strike. It’s a mystery how a punter became the most popular personality on ESPN, other than his knack for giving Aaron Rodgers ample room to reveal his shortcomings, but kudos to him. I heard parts of the monologue, and it wasn’t bad, particularly a jab at Brett Favre and Skip Bayless over Bayless’s tweet about Damar Hamlin.

Speaking of Damar Hamlin, I know there are a number of people here who aren’t NFL fans, and their first thought when it comes to Hamlin is, “WTF? Why does a sport where someone can be tackled so hard they go into cardiac arrest even exist?” and I get it. Those same people might also wonder, “He nearly died on the field, and he’s playing again?”

Yes. And while I’m not defending it, it’s hard not to feel a tad inspired by Hamlin, and maybe even tear up watching him present the Pat Tillman Award for Service to the training staff that saved his life. The injury was an ugly moment in sports that brought out the best in humanity (Skip Bayless excluded), and this is the cherry on top.