NFL fans say the trainer who gave Damar Hamlin life-saving CPR should be in the Hall of Fame
Who’s more deserving of the NFL’s highest honor than Denny Kellington?

Washington Football Team at. Buffalo Bills from Highmark Stadium, Buffalo, NY September 26th, 2021
The most touching moment during Week 18 of the NFL season was after veteran Buffalo Bills wide receiver John Brown made a thrilling 42-yard diving catch for a touchdown. When he returned to the sidelines, he quietly gave the game ball to Bills assistant trainer Denny Kellington.
It was a gesture of thanks for Kellington’s quick thinking during the January 2 Monday night contest versus the Bengals when his actions helped save Bills safety Damar Hamlin’s life. Hamlin collapsed on the field after suffering cardiac arrest and needed immediate resuscitation and defibrillation. Kellington administered CPR on Hamlin before the defibrillator restored his pulse.
Kellington took immediate action administering CPR and it's a major reason why Hamlin is still alive today. Dr. William Knight IV, who treated Hamlin at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center, praised Kellington and the Bills training staff for their heroic actions.
“We cannot credit their team enough,” Knight said, noting that Hamlin needed “immediate bystander CPR, which ... rarely ever happens."
"There are injuries occasionally that happen on sports fields, be it in football or others, but it is incredibly rare to have something be this serious (and) that quickly recognized," Knight said. "Meeting the standard of what we would expect in that scenario is what has allowed us to be able to discuss these good outcomes today."
\u201cJohn Brown gave his touchdown ball to Denny Kellington, the @BuffaloBills assistant athletic trainer, who administered CPR to Damar Hamlin. #ForDamar\u201d— NFL (@NFL) 1673209885
Bills head coach Sean McDermott also praised Kellington at a press conference.
“For an assistant to find himself at that position and needing to take the action that he did and step up and take charge like he did … is nothing short of amazing,” McDermott said. “The courage that took … talk about a real leader, a real hero, in saving Damar’s life, and I just admire his strength.”
\u201c.@BuffaloBills HC Sean McDermott praises assistant athletic trainer Denny Kellington who provided immediate care to Damar Hamlin on the field.\n\n"You talk about a real leader, a real hero, in saving Damar's life." \u2764\ufe0f\ud83d\udc99\u201d— NFL (@NFL) 1672957986
One week after his horrifying collapse, Hamlin was discharged from the University of Cincinnati Medical Center on Monday, January 9 to continue his recovery at a hospital in Buffalo, New York.
Some football fans on Twitter believe that Kellington should be given the NFL’s highest honor, an induction into the Hall of Fame for his heroics. The idea makes a lot of sense. It’s one thing to achieve greatness on the field or in the front office, but saving someone’s life puts Kellington on a whole new level of achievement.
Heroes do hero things, in hero moments.
— Bad Benny (@HereREGOagain) January 5, 2023
Denny Kellington should go into the Hall Of Fame for his actions during that night.
He deserves to live on for eternity. https://t.co/FxeUSMrUfB
Bills assistant athletic trainer Denny Kellington is a true hero in the NFL. His training, plus his team were instrumental in saving Mr. Hamlin life. A petition should be made for Mr. Kellington to enter the NFL Hall of Fame for saving his life. #hamlinstrong
— papprice2001 (@papprice2001) January 6, 2023
Denny Kellington (bills trainer) deserves some big accolades. I do agree that maybe a hall of Fame recognition would be great. He really saved Damar's life
— Blueyedcole (@blueyedcole) January 7, 2023
Put Denny Kellington into the Hall of Fame.
— John Dykes (@thismapiswrong) January 5, 2023
His name should be put up on the bills wall of fame…a true hero
— Jake (@Dahlinisgoated) January 5, 2023
Currently, there are 362 members of the NFL Hall of Fame which includes former players, coaches and front-office people, but a medical staffer has never been inducted. If the NFL acted fast, there’s still time for Kellington to be inducted in 2023.
Players usually have to wait a minimum of five years after retirement to be inducted into the Hall of Fame but there is no waiting period for those who have contributed to the league off the field.
The NFL should announce the latest list of people who will be enshrined in the coming days, leading up to an induction ceremony at Super Bowl 57. To honor Kellington shortly after his amazing act would be a wonderful display of respect by the NFL at a time when player health is top of mind for players and fans.
Kellington took immediate action to help save a player’s life. The least the NFL can do to repay him is to give him the honor he’s due without hesitation.
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There's a reason why some people can perfectly copy accents, and others can't
Turns out, there's a neurodivergent link.
A woman in black long sleeve shirt stands in front of mirror.
Have you ever had that friend who goes on vacation for four days to London and comes back with a full-on Queen's English posh accent? "Oooh I left my brolly in the loo," they say, and you respond, "But you're from Colorado!" Well, there are reasons they (and many of us) do that, and usually it's on a pretty subconscious level.
It's called "accent mirroring," and it's actually quite common with people who are neurodivergent, particularly those with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). According Neurolaunch, the self-described "Free Mental Health Library," "Accent mirroring, also known as accent adaptation or phonetic convergence, is the tendency to unconsciously adopt the accent or speech patterns of those around us. This linguistic chameleon effect is not unique to individuals with ADHD, but it appears to be more pronounced and frequent in this population."
Essentially, when people have conversations, we're constantly "scanning" for information—not just the words we're absorbing, but the inflection and tone. "When we hear an accent, our brains automatically analyze and categorize the phonetic features, prosody, and intonation patterns," writes Neurolaunch. For most, this does result in copying the accent of the person with whom we're speaking. But those with ADHD might be more sensitive to auditory cues. This, "coupled with a reduced ability to filter out or inhibit the impulse to mimic…could potentially explain the increased tendency for accent mirroring."
While the article explains further research is needed, they distinctly state that, "Accent mirroring in individuals with ADHD often manifests as an unconscious mimicry of accents in social situations. This can range from subtle shifts in pronunciation to more noticeable changes in intonation and speech rhythm. For example, a person with ADHD might find themselves unconsciously adopting a Southern drawl when conversing with someone from Texas, even if they’ve never lived in the South themselves."
People are having their say online. On the subreddit r/ADHDWomen, a thread began: "Taking on accents is an ADHD thing?" The OP shares, "My whole life, I've picked up accents. I, myself, never noticed, but everyone around me would be like, 'Why are you talking like that??' It could be after I watched a show or movie with an accent or after I've traveled somewhere with a different accent than my 'normal.'
They continue, "Apparently, I pick it up fast, but it fades out slowly. Today... I'm scrolling Instagram, I watch a reel from a comedian couple (Darcy and Jeremy. IYKYK) about how Darcy (ADHD) picks up accents everywhere they go. It's called ADHD Mirroring??? And it's another way of masking."
(The OP is referring to Darcy Michaels and his husband Jeremy Baer, who are both touring comedians based in Canada.)
Hundreds of people on the Reddit thread alone seem to relate. One comments, "Omfg I've done this my whole life; I'll even pick up on the pauses/spaces when I'm talking to someone who is ESL—but English is my first language lol."
Sometimes, it can be a real issue for those around the chameleon. "I accidentally mimicked a waitress's weird laugh one time. As soon as she was out of earshot, my family started to reprimand me, but I was already like 'oh my god I don’t know why I did that, I feel so bad.'"
Many commenters on TikTok were shocked to find out this can be a sign of ADHD. One jokes, "Omg, yes, at a store the cashier was talking to me and she was French. She's like 'Oh are you French too? No, I'm not lol. I'm very east coast Canada."
And some people just embrace it and make it work for them. "I mirror their words or phrase! I’m 30. I realized I start calling everyone sweetie cause my manager does & I work at coffee shop."
This article originally appeared in May.