As prayers for Buffalo Bills’ safety Damar Hamlin pour in from around the world, an ESPN analyst took the task to heart and said a prayer during a live broadcast on Tuesday (January 3).
Dan Orlovsky led the country in prayer for Hamlin, who remains in critical condition, during Tuesday’s edition of NFL Live.
Before praying, Orlovsky told viewers that those closest to Damar keep saying “all we can do is pray” and “we believe in prayer.” He continued, “Maybe this isn’t the right thing to do, but it’s just on my heart…I want to pray for Damar Hamlin right now.”
Orlovsky bowed his head and closed his eyes, as his co-analysts joined him.
“God, we come to you in these moments that we don’t understand, that are hard, because we believe that you’re God, and coming to you and praying to you has impact,” Orlovsky said.
“We’re sad, we’re angry, and we want answers, but some things are unanswerable. We just want to pray, truly come to you and pray for strength for Damar, for healing for Damar, for comfort for Damar, to be with his family, to give them peace. If we didn’t believe that prayer didn’t work, we wouldn’t ask this of you, God. I believe in prayer, we believe in prayer. We lift up Damar Hamlin’s name in your name. Amen.”
Matthew 18:20 https://t.co/xCQUOmnEs1
— Dan Orlovsky (@danorlovsky7) January 3, 2023
Orlovsky’s heartfelt prayer has garnered much attention, including tens of millions of views across social media. His bold action has also earned praise from viewers who called the moment “powerful” and “the best thing on ESPN ever.”
Dan Orlovsky responded by challenging those watching to “live out our faith right now.”
Damar Hamlin remains in critical condition after suffering cardiac arrest and collapsing during Monday night’s game between the Buffalo Bills and Cincinnati Bengals. Medics performed CPR on the Bills safety for roughly 10 minutes before transporting him to a local hospital.
Hamlin’s uncle, Dorrian Glenn, spoke to reporters Tuesday. He said that Hamlin is currently on a ventilator and has shown some improvement as he is currently receiving 50% oxygen as opposed to the initial 100%.
“Right now they’ve got him on a ventilator. They’re trying to get him to breath on his own. We’re just kind of taking it day by day. Still in the ICU. They have him sedated. So just continue to administer the medical treatment they’ve been doing,” Glenn shared.
Watch Dorrian Glenn’s full interview below.