Former Marine who played wide receiver in college catches a three-year-old boy thrown from burning building

https://news.yahoo.com/former-marine-played-wide-receiver-155032589.html

James Crump
,The Independent•July 8, 2020


A former Marine and wide receiver in college American football caught a three-year-old boy who was thrown from a burning building by his mother.

Phillip Blanks was filmed catching Jameson Long on 3 July in Phoenix, Arizona, after he heard the child’s mother, Rachel Long, call for help from inside the building.

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Mr Blanks who played as a wide receiver for Saddleback College in California, said the training during his playing days helped him save the child.

“I know how to catch,” he said. “I’ve learned how to catch a football. So I’ll give some credit to football.”

He also credited his time in the US Marines, and added: “I can definitely credit to the Marine Corps for instilling this good training in me to save a life. I don’t see myself as a hero. A person trained to do my job is trained to protect people.”

Although Mr Blanks was able to save the son in the fire, the mother died as she was not able to get out of the building herself after throwing her child to safety.

“She’s the real hero of the story,” Mr Blanks said. “Because she made the ultimate sacrifice to save her children.”