Expert recommends chest and heart padding for NFL, youth football players after Damar Hamlin injury A sports medicine doctor says a shield over the heart can dramatically reduce the kind of ...

After his exit, Deven Thompkins came on field for the next Eagles punt. Blackshear typically plays almost exclusively on special teams, as he doesn't have a touch over 11 offensive snaps this season.

But Hamlin's injury shows it can happen in football too. And Stephens says heart protection is one of the few options both the NFL and youth football can use to help prevent the next tragedy.

Dr. Chad Stephens, a Texas sports medicine doctor with two kids in youth football, is urging the league to consider the kind of chest protection that's already mandated or recommended in many ...