Before the Buffalo Bills took the field for their regular-season finale, the stadium public address announcer called out some important names.
The Bills recognized 13 individuals from their medical and athletic training staff on the field at Highmark Stadium, and one more who remained in Cincinnati.
When Bills safety Damar Hamlin collapsed on the field on Jan. 2, Bills staff members jumped into action, their quick and expert care saving Hamlin’s life. Many others also played a role, including the Cincinnati Bengals medical staff and independent medical personnel who were at Paycor Stadium.
What medical and athletic training staffs do for their teams is often behind the scenes. A critical part of their jobs is preparing for all scenarios, in hopes that those emergencies never come. The response to Hamlin was possible because of thorough planning, incredible expertise from years of training, and decisive teamwork when every second counted.
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“It's certainly not an exaggeration to say that the skilled and the immediate response by all of these talented caregivers prevented a very tragic outcome at that moment,” said Dr. Allen Sills, the NFL'[s chief medical officer. “And certainly, we never want to see events like this occur, but if there were to be a medical emergency, there was absolutely the right team, with the right equipment and the right training on site able to provide care.”
Here is more on those recognized on the field at Highmark Stadium last Sunday.
Dr. Mark Kim
A team internist, Kim has plenty of ties to Western New York. He’s been part of Buffalo Medical Group since 2005. Kim attended medical school at the New York College of Osteopathic Medicine, graduating with honors, and his internship and residency were at University at Buffalo Sisters of Charity Hospital. He and his son have a large Lego collection.
Kori Reblin
Reblin, an equipment assistant for the Bills, took the critical step on Jan. 2 of removing Hamlin’s facemask so that assistant athletic trainer Denny Kellington could begin CPR, General Manager Brandon Beane said. “(He) had to get there and get his facemask off so that they could work on him and (that’s) not easy when you see the situation Damar’s in,” Beane said. Reblin joined the Bills in October 2017 after serving as an assistant equipment manager for the University of Michigan football team.
Dr. Tom White
Team internist White, along with athletic trainer Nate Breske, worked in collaboration with the Buffalo General Medical Center/Gates Vascular Institute care team to continue Hamlin’s care once the safety arrived in Buffalo. White went to medical school at University of Rochester, and he did his internship and residency at the University at Buffalo. Like Kim, White works with Buffalo Medical Group.
Dr. Zachary Musial
Born and raised in Western New York, team chiropractor Dr. Musial is a graduate of St. Francis High School, just a few miles away from One Bills Drive. He went to Canisius College, the next step in eventually obtaining his degree of Doctor of Chiropractic and a master’s degree in Applied Clinical Nutrition from the New York Chiropractic College. The oldest of five, Musial was shaped by his upbringing to always help families out as well as he tends to each individual patient.
Marissa Figueroa
Figueroa, an athletic training intern, started with the Bills in April 2021. A Corona, Calif., native, she studied kinesiology at Humboldt State and got her master’s degree in athletic training at California Baptist University. Figueroa interned with the Chargers in 2018, before working at UC Davis with the football and women’s lacrosse teams. The care she pours into the team shows: Figueroa got a birthday shoutout during locker room karaoke from players earlier this season.
Joe Micca
Micca is a rehabilitation coordinator-physical therapist for the Bills, an expanded role he took in July 2021. He’s been with the Bills organization since 2016, joining Buffalo as a physical therapist. As a student, Micca was a semifinalist in 2009 for the William V. Campbell Trophy – college football’s most premier scholar-athlete award, nicknamed the Academic Heisman.
Kelsey Harkins
Harkins took on the role of coordinator of player services in April 2022 after interning in the Bills’ athletic training room for two years. The New Jersey native is an athletic trainer, having studied athletic training at William Paterson University and getting her master’s in exercise physiology at Baylor University. Her current role is wide-ranging but boils down to a theme: she’s a liaison for players, helping them acquire answers for any questions they have, for all aspects of life.
Nate Breske
The head athletic trainer of the Bills, Breske leads his team in injury prevention, assessment and treatment for each player. Breske joined the Bills staff in 2018 after serving as the Chicago Bears’ head athletic trainer. He has served on the Education Committee of the Professional Football Athletic Trainers Society. Breske and Beane stayed with Hamlin through Thursday night in Cincinnati after he was hospitalized on Monday. A South Dakota native, Breske was raised in a family where football was paramount, giving him great perspective as he helps athletes at the highest level.
Dr. Leslie Bisson
Bisson is the medical director for the Bills and the Sabres. In 2007, Bisson was the first doctor to arrive at Kevin Everett's side after the Bills' tight end suffered a serious spinal injury. After the jarring injury, Bisson told The Buffalo News he thought about quitting, until he realized he felt called to keep responding. He needed to be there for his players, and he knew his expertise could help. His care also extends outside of professional sports: Bisson and Dr. Marc Fineberg both work for UBMD Orthopedics and Sports Medicine as well.
Dr. Marc Fineberg
Fineberg is the team orthopedist for the Bills and the head team physician for the Sabres, and he’s local. He went to Williamsville North High School. Syracuse was the next step of a thorough education, which included a fellowship at Harvard. Fineberg found he had a few different passions: science, sports, education and Western New York. He was able to marry all those interests, and Fineberg finds one of the best parts of his work to be helping the next generation of medical professionals.
Denny Kellington
The quick reaction of assistant athletic trainer Kellington, and his expert CPR, were critical in saving Hamlin’s life. Left tackle Dion Dawkins heralded Kellington’s stamina in administering CPR. “I see it for the physical amount and the mental amount of strength that it took Denny to do it and do it and do it,” Dawkins said. The outpouring of praise for Kellington from players also came because they see all the hard work he puts in every day, with players noting his selfless nature when it comes to making sure the team is taken care of. Kellington joined the Bills in 2017 after 12 years at Syracuse.
Joe Collins
Collins, the Bills' director of sports performance and innovation, has a master's in Sports Medicine, a master's in strength and conditioning/High Performance Physiology, degrees in both Physical Therapy and Sports Science. He’s interested in injury prevention and performance enhancement from a data-driven approach. He has worked for two Premier League Soccer Teams, was Head of Performance for a professional rugby team, and worked with the British Olympic teams leading up to the 2012 London Games. After coming across the pond in 2015, he worked first with the Sabres, before joining the Bills in 2017. His role has spanned across multiple departments, with the aim of maximizing the team’s health and performance.
Dr. Desaree Festa
As a sport psychologist, Dr. Festa works to maximize athletes’ abilities, and particularly in mental health and mental wellness. Her expert and empathic work happens every day of the season, but she was particularly needed as the Bills got ready to face the Patriots last weekend. “(She) has done a phenomenal job working with some of us, some of the players to help in that regard, with the psychology of the game, if you will,” McDermott said.
Tabani Richards
Assistant athletic trainer Tabani Richards was not pictured in the moment on the field because, at the time, he was in Cincinnati with Hamlin and his family. His extended care for Hamlin was not lost on anyone.
“Just a true servant, and he cares so much for the people around him and his players,” McDermott said. “My hat goes off to him.”
Richards grew up in Riverdale, Ga. He attended University of Georgia, where he studied kinesiology, and University of Kentucky for his master’s degree. He joined the Bills in 2018, where he quickly began to build deep relationships with the players he works with every day.
“We're probably the closest people to these athletes,” Richards told UGA. “… We get to really develop some special relationships with these guys just based on trust.”
