Courtesy of the American Heart Association 

More than half of people who experience cardiac arrest outside a hospital don’t receive immediate CPR, underscoring the urgent need for more people to know how to respond when every second counts. The American Heart Association and the National Football League have announced the 2026 Nation of Lifesavers™ Player Ambassador Class, with NFL players encouraging fans to learn Hands-Only CPR and act during a cardiac emergency. Representing the Buffalo Bills is safety Damar Hamlin. 

“CPR gave me a second chance at life, and I will never take that for granted,” said Hamlin. “I’m here today with a purpose bigger than myself, thanks to the people around me who knew what to do and were prepared to act.” Hamlin and other ambassadors are encouraging fans to learn Hands-Only CPR through public service announcements, social media, and community education initiatives. “When someone has a sudden cardiac arrest, immediate CPR can mean the difference between life and death. NFL players have a powerful opportunity to help fans move from awareness to action by learning CPR and being prepared to use it,” said Nancy Brown, chief executive officer of the American Heart Association. “Together with the NFL, we are building a nation of lifesavers.” 

This is the third annual ambassador class, which began after the sudden cardiac arrest of Buffalo Bills player Damar Hamlin during Monday Night Football™ in early January 2023. 

“The NFL’s partnership with the American Heart Association ensures that all members of the NFL family can serve as lifesavers in medical emergencies,” said Anna Isaacson, NFL senior vice president of social responsibility. “We look forward to working with our Nation of Lifesaver Player Ambassadors to expand access to vital CPR training and education in communities nationwide.” 

The Association is the global leader in CPR – publishing the official guidelines for CPR and, for more than 60 years, advancing resuscitation science, education, and training. The Nation of Lifesavers and the collaboration with the NFL are the Association’s most recent demonstrations of its commitment to CPR education and to its goal of doubling survival rates from out-of-hospital cardiac arrest by 2030. 

The American Heart Association is also a founding member of the Smart Heart Sports Coalition, established by the NFL in 2023. The coalition advocates for all 50 states to adopt evidence-based public policies that prevent fatal outcomes from cardiac arrest among high school students. According to the American Heart Association, more than 23,000 children under 18 experience cardiac arrest outside a hospital each year, and about 40% of those cases occur among student-athletes. Cardiac arrest is a leading cause of death for student-athletes nationwide. 

With nearly 3 out of 4 cardiac arrests outside the hospital occurring in homes, knowing how to perform CPR is critically important. If a teen or adult collapses, witnesses should immediately call 9-1-1 and begin chest compressions at a rate of 100-120 beats per minute and a depth of about two inches. Hands-Only CPR is chest-compression-only CPR. Learn CPR today at www.heart.org/nation. Take 90 seconds to learn how to save a life at www.heart.org/HandsOnlyCPR.