A Two-Minute Warning

This past Monday night during a football game between the Buffalo Bills and Cincinnati Bengals, 24-year-old Bills safety Damar Hamlin suffered cardiac arrest and was in critical condition, but is recovering. That game got suspended and then cancelled. It brought to my remembrance the only player known for dying during a NFL contest. 

Back in 1971, Detroit Lions wide receiver Chuck Hughes collapsed on the field in the closing seconds of a game against the Chicago Bears. While he got rushed to the hospital, the game went on before a silent crowd of over 54,000 fans. Chuck was soon pronounced dead from a heart attack. He was only 28 years old. 


Football fans look up to players like they are larger than life. Sadly, others have died young through a variety of circumstances. One of them played for my favorite team. During the Minnesota Vikings 2001 training camp, offensive tackle Korey Stringer had a heat stroke and hours later died from complications. He was 27.


Another player that comes to mind is Sean Taylor of the Washington Redskins. On November 26, 2007, Sean was at his home near Miami recovering from a knee injury when he heard intruders break in. When Sean went to investigate, he was shot once in the upper leg. A severed femoral artery caused extensive blood loss. Sean lost consciousness and died the next day. He was only 24.


Then there’s Jerome Brown, a defensive tackle with the Philadelphia Eagles. On June 25, 1992, Jerome lost control of the corvette he was driving in his hometown of Brooksville, Florida and crashed into a palm tree. Jerome was 27. The crash also killed his 12-year-old nephew who was a passenger in the car.


One thing these deceased players have in common is their deaths happened unexpectedly. Unlike an NFL game, they didn’t have a two-minute warning before the clock ran out on their lives. Many people think they can get right with God at a time of their choosing. 2 Corinthians 6:2 says, “…now is the day of salvation.” Life can suddenly end without an opportunity to prepare for eternity.


If you are not certain of going to heaven when your life ends, please take a time out right now and invite Jesus Christ to be your Lord and Savior.


“whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away.” - James 4:14


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