On the first episode of HBO’s Hard Knocks, which this year is following the Buffalo Bills training camp, there’s a moment where star rookie Maxwell Hairston is lying on the field, clutching his leg from a painful noncontact injury that had teammates bracing for bad news.
What the cameras caught next wasn’t just medical staff rushing in, but cornerback Christian Benford praying over his teammate as he was helped off the field.
“Heavenly Father, please give him strength,” Benford said in the audio played on the show. “As we honor You for everything You give us, please heal him. You know it’s never worse, as much as we think it is, Lord. God, bless his mind, his soul, his body, his everything, Lord. Please give him strength, Lord. As we’re weak, bless everything we do because we can’t do it without you. In Jesus’ name we pray, amen.”
Hairston avoided the nightmare scenario — Reuters reports it’s a sprained LCL that will sideline him for a few weeks. For Buffalo, that means the rookie will likely still get his shot in a defensive backfield already stacked with young talent, now backed up by free agent signee Joey Bosa and an MVP-caliber offense led by Josh Allen.
The Bills open their season at home Sept. 7 in a prime-time rematch against the Baltimore Ravens. Whether Hairston is on the field or not, his Hard Knocks debut just became one of the most memorable moments of the season — for reasons that had nothing to do with football.
