The Carolina Panthers hope tight end Jeremy Shockey will be clutch in their passing game this season. He's already come up big this year in another department -- saving a life.

The agent for tight end Ben Hartsock told the National Football Post that Shockey came to the aid of his client in the Panthers' lunch room when a piece of pork tenderloin became lodged in Hartsock's throat.

"(Hartsock) started to go to the bathroom and I don't know if he collapsed, but he couldn't breathe," agent Mike McCartney told the website. "Some new guy came and tried to give him the Heimlich. It didn't work. Then, Shockey hit him in the back pretty hard and out came the meat. The Panthers told me it was really scary.

"Ben told me Shockey came over and gave me the Heimlich maneuver and saved my life. He was in good spirits and he's real thankful for Shockey."

Hartsock joked about the incident Tuesday, saying "we had to call in the reliever and that was Jeremy Shockey. Don't let the tattoos fool you, he's a good Samaritan. He knows how to administer the Heimlich."

Shockey declined to discuss the incident.

The Panthers signed Shockey in March after he was cut by the New Orleans Saints.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.