Former Gamecock quarterback Connor Shaw opens up about his cardiac arrest

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Former NFL quarterback and South Carolina Gamecocks star Connor Shaw collapsed into sudden cardiac arrest while coaching his son’s flag football game at Gracely Park in Simpsonville on Sept. 17.

Shaw, 34, was celebrating with his team after they scored when he began feeling nauseous. He handed his playbook to an assistant coach, telling him he wasn’t feeling well, then collapsed.

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Caleb Carter, a Simpsonville firefighter coaching his own son’s team on the same field, rushed to Shaw’s aid after another parent alerted him to the emergency.

“I was on this field coaching my son’s team, and I called a play for offense and stepped on the sidelines and one of the mom’s on the team told me, Hey that guy over there just collapsed,” Carter said.

Carter performed CPR on Shaw for five minutes before other responders arrived with an automated external defibrillator. When medics arrived, they used the AED to deliver an electric shock to restore Shaw’s heart rhythm.

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Shaw now wears a Medtronic EV-ICD device under his armpit that can detect sudden cardiac arrest and treat it.

“So for whatever reason, there’s an electrical malfunction, it would send the pulse. And if I were to go into V-fib again, then it would shock me,” Shaw said.

Despite extensive testing, doctors have not determined why Shaw’s heart stopped beating.

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Shaw has started an initiative called hrthudl.org to get AEDs in as many parks and athletic fields as possible and encourage people to learn CPR.

“And I reference Mark 16 and 15, where you go preach to all creation,” Shaw said. “Hrthudle is going to be a conduit to do that and hear about more survivor stories and to praise his name because of it,” Shaw said.

Shaw said he believes his cardiac arrest happened for a reason and credits Carter with saving his life.

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