St. Louis Rams special teams coordinator John Fassel took a break from his family vacation last week to save a drowning man, caught in the riptide at Manhattan Beach outside Los Angeles.
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Fassel and another man were boogie-boarding off the coast when they noticed, “a man caught in a riptide, flailing away.”
Fassel and Burton — who did not know each other before this incident — swam over to the man, whose eyes were “rolling into the back of his head,” according to Fassel. The drowning man — who did not speak English — was gasping, splashing, panicking, said Fassel.
Fassel reached for the man’s arms while Burton reached for the man’s waist, and together they struggled to hoist him onto a surfboard until Manhattan Beach lifeguards arrived on the scene. The team then paddled the man to shore, where a team of paramedics were also waiting to help.
Well done, John.
Your next task? Rescuing the floundering Rams —
OK, I’m done.