Former Chicago Bears and Cleveland Browns quarterback Conner Shaw says the ordeal changed everything.
Shaw, who played four seasons in the NFL from 2014 to 2017 and appeared in only one regular-season game, is now focused far more on his health than on what happened during his time in the league. In September 2025, while coaching his son’s youth flag football team in Simpsonville, South Carolina, Shaw suffered sudden cardiac arrest in front of his family.
Before collapsing, he said he felt dizzy and nauseous. “I had no pulse,” Shaw later told reporters.
Help arrived fast. An off-duty firefighter, Caleb Carter, performed CPR for five minutes, and an off-duty police officer helped with chest compressions.
Medics then used an automated external defibrillator to shock his heart. Shaw survived and later fully recovered.
“Caleb and Zach, thank you for saving my life,” Shaw shared.
After his hospital recovery, Shaw had a Medtronic EV-ICD device implanted under his armpit to monitor his heart rhythm and help guard against another cardiac emergency. Ten months later, he and his wife welcomed their fourth child, a son named Shepherd.
Shaw has since turned that frightening night into a larger mission. He started a nonprofit called HRTHUDL, also known as The Heart Huddle, to raise awareness about sudden cardiac arrest. The group also teaches CPR and helps place automated external defibrillators in local communities.
The foundation launched its mission at the South Carolina and Clemson football game, and it has already donated 34 AED devices. Those devices have gone to schools, local parks and businesses across South Carolina.
Shaw’s goal is simple: make sure more recreational sports fields are equipped to save lives.
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