As Jeff Ulbrich watched the Bills and Bengals play on TV Monday night and witnessed the horrific injury to Buffalo safety Damar Hamlin, he had a terrible feeling in his gut.
“I lost a teammate, Thomas Herrion. We were playing Denver and he was part of a game-winning drive, came into the locker room and he had a grand mal seizure and he died in front of us in the locker room,’’ the Jets defensive coordinator and former 49ers linebacker said Thursday. “[The Hamlin injury] took me back to that moment, that every time when these players come out of the game unscathed and healthy how appreciative I am — win, lose or draw.’’
Herrion was a 49ers offensive lineman and died after that 2005 preseason game against the Broncos.
Ulbrich said watching the Hamlin injury was “just a reminder of how violent this game is and how fragile life is and the risk that these players take when they cross the white lines.’’
“It’s a reason that the connection between these players is so deep, because there is a level of risk when they play this game that brings guys together. I’m praying for the young man. It’s just so sad and it bothers me on a very deep level.’’
