“Damar Hamlin experienced a heart arrest after being struck during our game against the Bengals. The Bills released a statement saying that after his heartbeat was restored on the field, he was taken to the UC Medical Center for additional evaluation and care. “He is currently sedated and listed in critical condition.”
The crucial Monday night matchup between the Buffalo Bills and Cincinnati Bengals was indefinitely postponed due to the respiratory arrest of Buffalo defensive back Damar Hamlin, who the Bills claim occurred on the field after a tackle hours earlier. Hamlin was in critical condition early on Tuesday.
According to ESPN, Hamlin received CPR on the field while being surrounded by teammates, some of whom were in tears, and hidden from the public view. He suffered an injury when tackling Bengals receiver Tee Higgins during a play that appeared to be ordinary and not particularly aggressive.
Shortly after Hamlin was sent to the hospital, the NFL made a statement about his condition; however, neither the league nor the hospital provided any other information regarding the 24-year-health. The team’s message was made public prior to its flight’s early Tuesday return to Buffalo. Regarding the game’s future status, there was no information available right away.
Hamlin was attended to on-field by team, outside medical staff, and neighbourhood paramedics before being transported by ambulance to University of Cincinnati Medical Center. Hamlin was later joined at the hospital by teammate Stefon Diggs.
Higgins led with his right shoulder on the play in which the 6-foot, 200-pound Hamlin was hurt, striking the defensive back in the chest. Then, in order to drag Higgins down, Hamlin encircled his arms over his shoulders and helmet. Hamlin suddenly rose to his feet and appeared to fix his face mask with his right hand before falling backward and remaining immobile for about three seconds.
Four minutes after Hamlin collapsed, an ambulance arrived on the scene as other players, including quarterbacks Josh Allen of Buffalo and Joe Burrow of Cincinnati, hugged one another.
The NFL has no current intentions to play the game, according to Jeff Miller, an executive vice president of the league, who also stated that Hamlin’s health is the league’s first concern.
Allen tweeted, “Please pray for our brother.”
NFL executive Troy Vincent, a six-time Pro Bowl cornerback during his career, said in the conference call early on Tuesday morning, “I’ve never seen anything like it since I was playing.” “Immediately, my player hat went on, like, how do you resume playing after seeing a traumatic event in front of you?”
The Bills gathered in prayer when Hamlin was brought off the field 19 minutes after collapsing at 8:55 p.m., which seemed like an eternity. The game was stopped a little while after the ambulance left the field, and the players slowly filed off the field and into their locker rooms to await updates on Hamlin and the game.
While Hamlin was receiving medical attention, his uniform was torn. On its broadcast, ESPN stated that Hamlin received oxygen as well.
Vincent claimed that despite ESPN’s commentators’ announcement that a five-minute warmup period would begin, the league took no action to restart the game.
Except for a few players that stayed behind with Hamlin, Vincent said the Bills were returning early Tuesday morning to the team facility in Orchard Park, New York.
Vincent added, “It never crossed our mind to talk about warming up to resume play,” “that’s ridiculous. That’s insensitive. That’s not a place we should ever be in.”
When the crew landed at Buffalo Niagara International Airport at around 2:45 a.m., there were numerous police officers present. Near the airport, a small gathering of spectators formed across the street from the players’ parking lot. To allow the players to depart, the police blocked off the road.
In the opening frame of a contest between teams aiming for the top AFC playoff seed, the Bengals had a 7-3 lead. AFC East champion Buffalo entered at 12-3, while Cincinnati entered at 11-4 and led the AFC North by one win over Baltimore.
In a statement, the players’ union said, “The NFLPA and everyone in our community are praying for Damar Hamlin.” “We have been in touch with Bills and Bengals players, and with the NFL. The only thing that matters at this moment is Damar’s health and well being.”
