In one symbolic moment, former NFL quarterback Dan Orlovsky cited a Buffalo Bills appeal for prayer and then lowered his head and prayed — live — on ESPN.
“God, we come to you in these moments that we don’t understand. … We’re sad, we’re angry, and we want answers, but some things are unanswerable,” he said. “We just want to pray, truly come to you and pray for strength for Damar, for healing for Damar, for comfort for Damar. Be with his family to give them peace. … We believe in prayer.”
During a live CNN interview with Anderson Cooper, former NFL star Benjamin Watson stressed that players share a “brotherhood” in which they know injuries can end their careers and lives in a heartbeat. This raises unavoidable religious questions, he said.
“We all have a day to be born and we all have a day to die. So often, in between those two points, we feel invincible,” he said. Watching the Hamlin drama made “us realize — ‘Where are we?’ — that we’re all weak. Where do our hearts stand? … The questions about what happens after this life … they are coming up for all of us, not just for the football players.”
While many NFL leaders and journalists may try to ignore questions of this kind, it will be harder to do so in the future, according to Putz.
“We need more religion in our conversations about sports culture, not less,” he said. “There is true diversity in the many different religious perspectives found in the NFL. We need to listen to those voices, not fear them. There are religious questions here. Let’s talk about that and dig deeper.”
