LINCOLN, Neb - At a point in time where football is making changes to better protect its players, teams in Nebraska’s capital city will have another layer of defense.

Eight Automated External Defibrillator’s (AED’s) will be provided to each Lincoln Youth Football program for the upcoming season. On Wednesday afternoon, coaches were briefed by members of Nebraska Heart and CHI health on the uses. Jim Hansen of Sandhills Global was one of several individuals who started the process.

“Over two years ago, I started working with Donna Hammock (CHI Health) on it... it’s taken a long time, but it’s great we finally got these for all the players, coaches and volunteers,” Hansen said.

Lincoln Youth Football Commissioner Mike Selvage calls the extra line of defense a relief, knowing those at games will be safer.

“It’s a big relief,” Selvage said. “We’ve been working hard to get this and luckily the folks at Nebraska heart were able to come together and get this for us.”

Rick Thompson, President of Nebraska Heart, says 1-in-81,000 youth athletes will have sudden cardiac arrest, meaning AED’s being readily available is crucial.


“Time is of the essence,” Thompson said. “Every second counts. You cannot have instances where someone can’t find an AED or has to travel a good distance for an AED, it has to be ready right away.”

Scenarios like these are why Selvage believe the changes will benefit youth athletes.

“We’ve always had one at games, but not at practice sites,” Selvage said. “So this just enhances the safety at our practice sites that much more.”

In January, Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin suffered a cardiac arrest in a game with the Cincinnati Bengals, sending shockwaves through the sports world. Fortunately, medical personnel were able to to restore his heartbeat on the field.

According to Thompson, incidents in the media, such as the one with Damar Hamlin, have shined a light on the need for readily available AED’s at sporting events.

“Media attention to the Damar Hamlin situation, has accelerated opportunities for us to get AED’s into places where they weren’t before,” Thompson said. “That’s really important for our community of athletes and the youth in Nebraska.”