In an early morning release on Tuesday, the Buffalo bills explained that the shocking collapse of the team’s safety, Damar Hamlin, ended up being in response to a heart attack.
Hamlin fell out on the field with roughly six minutes left in the first quarter of the Monday Night Football game in the wake of his tackling of Tee Higgins, a Cincinnati Bengals receiver, at the end of a 13-yard catch. After the tackle, Hamlin struggled to get up, stumbled backward a step, and dropped back to the ground.
“Damar Hamlin suffered a cardiac arrest following a hit in our game versus the Bengals,” the team explained in its release. “His heartbeat was restored on the field and he was transferred to the UC Medical Center for further testing and treatment. He is currently sedated and listed in critical condition.”
Damar Hamlin suffered a cardiac arrest following a hit in our game versus the Bengals. His heartbeat was restored on the field and he was transferred to the UC Medical Center for further testing and treatment. He is currently sedated and listed in critical condition.
— Buffalo Bills (@BuffaloBills) January 3, 2023
A report from the New York Times stated that medical professionals administered CPR to the 24-year-old athlete while the massive stunned stadium holding tens of thousands of fans, and millions more following along from their homes, looked on.
The ESPN play-by-play broadcaster, Jow Buck, stated that the network was sent information that stated that the teams were being given five minutes to warm back up to make ready to get the game going again.
Troy Vincent, however, as the executive vice president of the NFL’s football operations, spoke out to suggest that such a thing was not true as he spoke to reporters in the wake of the game, which was suspended indefinitely.
“Neither coach was talking about resuming play, the players were not thinking of resuming play,” stated Vincent. “How do you resume play after seeing such a traumatic event?”
“It wasn’t about proceeding with the game,” stated Vincent.”The competitive aspect never crossed my mind, never crossed our minds.”
There was an almost instant outpouring of support across the internet in the wake of Hamlin’s collapse, including a long list of both former and current players.
“Please join me in prayer for Damar Hamlin,” expressed Tim Tebow in a social media post.
“The game is not important,” stated JJ Watt in a post. “Damar Hamlin’s life is important. Please be ok. Please.”
“Please don’t share the video of the Damar Hamlin play,” posted Robert Griggin III in another post. “Share this because we are all Praying for him and his family.”
Please don’t share the video of the Damar Hamlin play. Share this because we are all Praying for him and his family. pic.twitter.com/QnO7DpAo7u
— Robert Griffin III (@RGIII) January 3, 2023
Another response came from Drew Brees, who tweeted, “Damar Hamlin represents every one of us and every teammate we’ve ever had. I’ve never met him, but I know him as a member of our brotherhood. My family and I pray for him and his family as he recovers. God be with him.”
Kelsey Conway, a reporter, shared a picture from the area near the team’s locker rooms.
“Just stood with Tee Higgins’ mom who is now walking out with Tee who has his arm wrapped around her,” she stated in a tweet. “Tee was the one who collided with Damar Hamlin before he collapsed.”
Just stood with Tee Higgins’ mom who is now walking out with Tee who has his arm wrapped around her. Tee was the one who collided with Damar Hamlin before he collapsed pic.twitter.com/C1kzWI2hp5
— Kelsey Conway (@KelseyLConway) January 3, 2023
