There have been plenty of stories about the Rams and Southern California this offseason, but this one has an ending that even the team’s fans in St. Louis will be able to enjoy.
Rams special teams coach John Fassel was enjoying one of the final days of his pre-camp vacation by riding the waves in Manhattan Beach last week when he spotted another swimmer struggling to free himself from a riptide. Fassel and another man named Jim Burton swam over to the man, who Fassel said was “totally unresponsive” while his eyes were “rolling into the back of his head.” They helped the struggling swimmer onto a surfboard and lifeguards then joined the rescue to bring the man back to the beach where paramedics were waiting.
“Me and Jim said he was less than 30 seconds away from not being able to hang in there,” Fassel said, via ESPN.com. “But it all happened so fast. Major kudos to Burton, the Manhattan Beach lifeguards and fire department paramedics. It was seriously amazing how fast they got on the scene. When we got him in, and he had the help he needed, we were high-fiving and celebrating.”
Fassel never learned the name of the man, who was taken to the hospital after being brought back into the beach.