Germany: Berlin Adler narrowly avoided a team catastrophe before playoff game

According to the German American football website Football-Aktuell, the Berlin Adler almost didn’t make it to their quarterfinal matchup with the Schwäbisch Hall Unicorns this past weekend. However, thanks to the quick actions of offensive coordinator and “guardian angel”, Lee Rowland, the team narrowly avoided what could have been a horrific disaster.

While the Adler were traveling to Nuremberg en route to Schwäbisch Hall in southern Germany in the team bus, the bus driver suffered a heart attack driving through a construction zone. Immediately realizing what had happened, Rowland leapt into action and brought the bus to a stop. The Adler physiotherapists who were on the bus, aided by a doctor who happened to be stuck in the traffic jam, began treating the driver while the freeway was closed down. According to the report, the bus was traveling at a slower speed while navigating through the construction zone and this was another key factor in preventing a terrible accident.

The team was led off the bus to a nearby rest stop while the bus driver was transported to Bach Leipzig hospital in critical condition. The players and staff had to wait until 11 pm that night for a replacement bus to arrive and then resumed their journey, arriving in Nuremberg at 2:30 am.

The Adler lost to the Unicorns 35-21 but that was almost of secondary importance after that harrowing escape from a potential catastrophe.