Los Angeles Rams defensive coordinator Raheem Morris was on a family vacation in Las Vegas, enjoying the NFL offseason before the team officially gets back to work for the 2023-24 season. And he happened to be involved in a moment of true heroism.
While at the Encore in Las Vegas, Morris witnessed a young child drowning in one of the pools at the resort. As the child’s father and the lifeguard brought him out of the pool, Morris kicked into action and decided to see if he could be of assistance given his CPR training with the Rams.
Morris wound up providing life-saving care to the child with a few quick actions, according to Paolo Uggetti of ESPN:
“I saw people calling 911 so my first question was, where is the AED?” Morris told ESPN on Wednesday, referring to an automatic external defibrillator, which Morris then ran to retrieve. “When I got back, we had a doctor on site that was able to start the compressions. I was able to hand the AED to him, get it open for him, put the pads on the child, and he ended up being OK.”
Morris credited the Rams’ recent CPR, AED and first aid training facilitated by Reggie Scott, the team’s vice president of sports medicine and performance, for helping him be aware of proper protocols and knowing the importance of an AED.
Following the incident, Morris spoke about the benefit of CPR training in general:
“I’m just thankful I knew what to do,” Raheem Morris said. “You just never know when you’re going to need that stuff.”
Morris certainly didn’t go to Las Vegas expecting to be involved with the saving of a child’s life. But part of being on an NFL staff is the ability to provide care in potentially serious situations in a moment’s notice. Morris showed he absolutely has the poise to do so in an emergency.
By all indications from what is public knowledge, the child appears to be okay in the aftermath of this incident.
Rams agree to deal with Tyler Johnson
The Rams offseason, meanwhile, continues with the addition of a wide receiver in Tyler Johnson. Johnson was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the fifth round in 2020, and has since played for the Houston Texans in two games as well.
In two seasons with Tampa Bay, the wideout recorded 48 receptions for 529 yards and two touchdowns in 31 appearances.
