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A heroic police officer managed to talk a suicidal man out of jumping off a bridge - by talking to him about football.

Officer Blackmore, and two other officers, responded to a call about an incident on the South Carolina Highway 277 in Columbia, in the early hours of Saturday morning.

The emotional footage shows the man sobbing as he sits on the side of the bridge while Officer Michael Blackmore from the Columbia Police Department attempts to engage him in conversation.

It took eight and a half minutes for Blackmore to talk the man out of jumping and persuade him to step back over the side of the barrier.

In the clip, Blackmore starts to ask the man about his home, his job and his family, before turning the conversation around to sports.

(Image: The State)

"I have bad nights too, sometimes," the police officer says to the man.

He managed to find out that the man was a fan of the Washington Redskins and the University of South Carolina Gamecocks football teams.

Using this information, he continued: "You’re just having a bad night tonight.

"But tomorrow night, when you’re sitting around and you’re watching the Gamecocks – or on Sunday when you’re watching the Redskins play or whatever – you’ll look back (like), ‘Man, what was I thinking Friday night?’ You’re just having a bad night.”

(Image: The State)

Eventually, Officer Blackmore was able to step closer to the man and grab him around the wrist, offering him support as he was assisted in climbing back over the barrier.

The man was taken to Palmetto Health Richland hospital for treatment.

Officer Blackmore told The State newspaper: "I just wanted to get his mind off what was bothering him.

The same police officer was also first on the scene last month, when a man appeared to be preparing to jump from a car park.

He said: "It was pretty much the exact same thing. I ended up talking to the guy about football. He told me he was a Notre Dame fan."

Helplines and websites

If you’re struggling to cope with mental health issues here are some of the ways you can access help.

Samaritans (116 123) operates a 24-hour service available every day of the year. If you prefer to write down how you’re feeling, or if you’re worried about being overheard on the phone, you can email Samaritans at jo@samaritans.org.

Childline (0800 1111) runs a helpline for children and young people in the UK. Calls are free and the number won’t show up on your phone bill.

PAPYRUS (0800 068 41 41) is a voluntary organisation supporting teenagers and young adults who are feeling suicidal.

Depression Alliance is a charity for people with depression. It doesn’t have a helpline, but offers a wide range of useful resources and links to other relevant information. http://www.depressionalliance.org/

Students Against Depression is a website for students who are depressed, have a low mood or are having suicidal thoughts. Bullying UK is a website for both children and adults affected by bullying. http://studentsagainstdepression.org/