Growing up, John Bush Jr. boxed and played basketball and football. But on Jan. 2, Bush was part of a relay team whose baton was the life of Damar Hamlin.
Bush, a Cincinnati native, has been a respiratory therapist on the Paycor Stadium emergency action team since its inception in 2018. The team is a result of the emergency action plan (EAP) that every NFL stadium is required to have in case of severe trauma. Although Bush has been on the sidelines for every game since the NFL contracted with the Level 1 trauma center at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center, he’d never crossed the line onto the playing field during a game.