NFL coach helps save child's life at Las Vegas pool

A young boy is alive and recovering today thanks to the quick actions of a few heroic Las Vegas vacationers — including an NFL coach.

Raheem Morris, the 46-year-old defensive coordinator for the L.A. Rams, was at the Encore resort and casino along the Las Vegas Strip for a vacation with his wife, Nicole, and their three children. The family was hanging out by the Encore pool when suddenly, another father who had been enjoying a day by the pool as well pulled his limp 3-year-old son out of the water. The boy was not breathing, so the desperate dad brought him to an area lifeguard for help.

While the lifeguard began performing CPR, Morris and others sprang into action as well. "I saw people calling 911, so my first question was: Where is the AED?" Morris later told ESPN. An AED, or automated external defibrillator, can detect erratic cardiac activity and then send an appropriate level of electric shock to help restore a more natural rhythm to the heart.

Morris quickly located the nearest AED and brought it to the scene. By the time he arrived, a doctor who happened to be on hand as well began rendering assistance to the boy. As the doctor began chest compressions, Morris said he "was able to hand the AED to him, get it open for him, put the pads on the child."

The impromptu efforts of Morris and the other Good Samaritans that day paid off. The boy "ended up being OK," Morris said, and his wife reported on her Instagram account that the little guy had been discharged from the hospital just 24 hours after the frightening incident, which is believed to have occurred last weekend.

Rams' Raheem Morris helps save drowning child at Las Vegas pool, credits AED trainingwww.youtube.com

As he reflected on his actions that day, Morris credited the NFL and especially the Rams' vice president of sports medicine and performance, Reggie Scott, for preparing him for such incidents. According to Morris, Scott has trained the team and staff about emergency medicine protocols, including proper CPR techniques and the use of AEDs. Between the on-field collapse of Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin and the heartbreaking death of Arrayah Barrett, the 2-year-old daughter of Tampa Bay Buccaneers linebacker Shaquil Barrett who drowned in a pool early last month, the league has taken significant steps to prepare its membership to assist in medical emergencies.

"I’m just thankful I knew what to do," Morris said. "You just never know when you’re going to need that stuff."

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