Peyton Hillis praised as a ‘remarkable dad’ as he remains hospitalized after rescuing kids

Peyton Hillis is being hailed as a ‘remarkable father’ as the former Cleveland Browns running back remains hospitalized in Florida after successfully saving his children from drowning on a Pensacola beach.

“What a remarkable father who makes the ultimate sacrifice for his children and prays he gets better and is there again for his children,” one Twitter user wrote.

“A lot of kids think of their dad as their hero, but Peyton Hillis’s kids can now literally say their dad saved their lives,” added another.

The 36-year-old Arkansas native rescued his children from drowning on a Pensacola beach but was left in critical condition as a result of the swimming accident, according to reports. Both children, Hillis’s son Orry and his youngest daughter, are said to be safe.

Hillis was reportedly unconscious Thursday after being airlifted to a local hospital, where his breathing is now “improving” in the intensive care unit, according to an update.

A man identified as Hillis’s uncle revealed the update in a Facebook post Thursday night, adding that his nephew was having lung and kidney problems.

“Just wanted everyone in the Razorback Nation to know that Peyton is doing better,” wrote Greg Hillis. “She is still in intensive care and she has some problems with her kidneys and lungs, but the doctors say she is doing better.”

A Browns spokesman declined to comment, saying the team was waiting for news of Hillis’ condition to be confirmed before doing so.

Hillis’s former agent, Kennard McGuire, did not immediately respond to DailyMail.com’s request for comment.

Chris Ogbonnaya, another former running back for the Browns, asked fans on Twitter to pray for his former teammate: “Please keep former teammate Peyton Hillis in your thoughts and prayers.”

Former NFL safety Antoine Bethea made a similar post: “Prayers for Peyton Hillis!!”

Many online reactions praised Hillis as a good father and a likeable man. One podcaster was especially fond of his time with Hillis.

“Peyton Hillis is a super nice guy,” a podcaster known as Sir Yacht tweeted. ‘An absolute fool and I mean that in the best possible way. He is a hero for saving his children from drowning today. I pray a lot for him and hope he has a quick and safe recovery.

“Guy saved his kids from drowning and is now hospitalized,” wrote one Twitter user. “Speedy recovery for a father who puts his children above all else, some people don’t always.”

The former Browns star had been trying his hand at acting in recent years and appeared in the horror film, The Hunting, in 2021.

He co-starred with actress Angela Cole in that movie, and the two are now dating.

The film was something of a homecoming for Hillis, as it was filmed in the Cleveland suburb of Mantua, Ohio.

Cole first went public with their relationship in a Facebook post on July 6, 2022.

Cole wrote: ‘I don’t care what they say about you, Peyt. I think you’re pretty cool. Sometimes there is someone who comes into your life and changes everything. I am so incredibly thankful for you.

Hillis appeared to confirm the relationship on her unverified Instagram page in August.

He said: ‘I mean the Bahamas were beautiful… but she’s just’ before adding several emojis with hearts on them.’

Hillis divorced the mother of his children, Amanda, in 2020.

After beginning his career with the Denver Broncos, Hillis was traded to the Browns along with a sixth round pick for backup QB Brady Quinn.

In four years at the University of Arkansas, Hillis totaled 960 rushing yards and 1,197 receiving yards while scoring 23 touchdowns.

Hillis is best known for his 2010 season with Cleveland where he had 1,600 total yards and 13 total touchdowns. As a result of that campaign, he won a national vote to be the cover athlete for the video game EA Sports Madden 12.

After two seasons in Cleveland, he left as a free agent to sign with the Kansas City Chiefs.

He concluded his professional career playing for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the New York Giants.

Hillis retired in 2015 at the request of his doctor due to a history of concussions.

talked with Bleach Report in 2015 about his frank struggles with mental health and depression when he decided to leave the game he loved.

“I was going through a really bad depression during that time,” he said of his years in Cleveland in particular. ‘He was getting help because he couldn’t sleep, he was so upset because everything was going the way it was and no one could understand.

On his decision to retire, he said: ‘After a while, it became too difficult. I didn’t care so much anymore, I didn’t mind working on it. Soccer depressed me. I still love the game and I still have a lot of friends in the game, but when it comes to NFL football, my heart isn’t in it anymore.’