Bills Tre’Davious White, Mitch Morse focus of NFL HOF award-winning photo

For the past 55 years, the Pro Football Hall of Fame has held a contest in which people submit photos they’ve taken throughout the season in the NFL. A panel of judges then decides which photo will receive the prestigious Dave Boss Award of Excellence.

In 2022, there may not have been a more impactful moment in the NFL and even beyond than Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin collapsing on the field during a Monday Night Football game against the Cincinnati Bengals from cardiac arrest and being resuscitated by trainer Denny Kellington. Players, fans and sportscasters all around the league were hanging their heads in prayer, offering words of support for the family, and wiping away tears as Hamlin was taken out of the stadium by ambulance.

Dylan Buell, a photographer for Getty Images, was able to capture the mood of the moment perfectly. In his photo that he aptly named “Comfort,” Bills center Mitch Morse is seen pulling a distraught Tre’Davious White into a consoling embrace. Buell’s picture is haunting, raw and overflowing with a variety of emotions.

The judges for the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s photo contest loved Buell’s work so much, they named his piece Photograph of the Year. Buell will receive his Dave Boss Award of Excellence at the Enshrinees Roundtable event on August 6, 2023 during Enshrinement Week.