NFL Players Lead National CPR Awareness Campaign on World Restart a Heart Day

The American Heart Association and National Football League have announced the 2025 Nation of Lifesavers Player Ambassador Class, consisting of 30 current NFL players dedicated to promoting CPR education. The announcement coincides with World Restart a Heart Day on October 16, highlighting the urgent need for widespread CPR knowledge. Player ambassadors will support the Association's call to action by amplifying public service announcements, social media content, and local community education events.

Damar Hamlin, Buffalo Bills safety who serves as National Ambassador for the Nation of Lifesavers, represents one of the prominent faces of the initiative. The program gains particular significance following Hamlin's own sudden cardiac arrest during Monday Night Football in 2023, which sparked increased public awareness about the importance of immediate medical response. According to American Heart Association statistics, over half of sudden cardiac arrest victims outside hospitals don't receive immediate CPR, leading to a 90% fatality rate.

The initiative represents the second annual ambassador class and supports the Association's broader Nation of Lifesavers movement. Nancy Brown, chief executive officer of the American Heart Association, emphasized that "immediate CPR can mean the difference between life and death" and noted that the NFL partnership has "inspired a movement" toward building a nation of lifesavers. The collaboration demonstrates the Association's commitment to CPR education and supports its goal to double survival rates of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest by 2030.

Practical implementation includes free Hands-Only CPR education during pregame events and community outreach through NFL Foundation CPR grants to each team. These grants help increase CPR and AED access in community neighborhoods by funding Hands-Only CPR training, Heartsaver CPR AED credentialing, and placement of CPR in Schools Kits and CPR Youth Sports Kits. Teams work with the American Heart Association to create customized plans for their local markets, with more than half of NFL teams having already hosted Association trainings.

The American Heart Association serves as the global leader in CPR, publishing official guidelines and creating resuscitation science, education and training for more than 60 years. The organization is also a founding member of the Smart Heart Sports Coalition established by the NFL in 2023, advocating for evidence-based public policies to prevent fatal outcomes from cardiac arrest among high school students. Statistics show more than 23,000 children under 18 experience cardiac arrest outside hospitals annually, with about 40% occurring among student-athletes.

With nearly three out of four cardiac arrests outside hospitals occurring in homes, the need for CPR knowledge becomes critically important for general public safety. The Hands-Only CPR technique requires just 90 seconds to learn and can double or triple survival chances when administered immediately. The American Heart Association provides comprehensive resources at https://www.heart.org/HandsOnlyCPR to help people learn this lifesaving skill quickly and effectively.