This past Monday was the anticipated tilt
between two NFL teams teams fighting for the top seed in the American Football
Conference (AFC) in the Buffalo Bills from the AFC East and the defending AFC
champions the Cincinnati Bengals from the AFC North. Instead, it became a night
that put the grim reality of the risk of playing football.
At 8:55 p.m. Eastern, Bills’ second-year
safety Damar Hamlin, 24 made what seemed like routine tackle on Bengals wide
receiver Tee Higgins. The former Sixth-Round pick in 2021 out of University of
Pittsburgh got back to his feet, adjusted his helmet but then collapsed to the
floor and laid on the field of Paycor Stadium motionless at 8:55 p.m. Eastern
Standard Time.
Upon collapsing to the turf, the McKees
Rocks, PA native was surrounded by his stunned teammates as well as many
Bengals players. Four minutes later, the ambulance was on the field and
emergency medical technicians (EMTs) and other paramedics cut Hamlin’s uniform
open and administered CPR as well as provided oxygen over a period of nine minutes,
which was reported on the late-night addition of ESPN’s “Sportscenter.” Hamlin
was taken off the field via ambulance to 16 minutes after he collapsed and was
transported to University of Cincinnati Medical Center.
It was reported that Hamlin was in
critical condition late into Monday night after the terrifying moment was
played out in front of thousands in attendance at Paycor Stadium and many
others that watched the game on ESPN, ESPN 2, and ABC, and ESPN App.
As Hamlin was being carried off in the ambulance
to a local hospital, players from both teams rallied on the field showing their
concern. Moments later Bills head coach Sean McDermott rallied his team as they
all took a knee and prayed.
In the early hours of Tuesday morning, the
Bills announced that Hamlin suffered a heart attack following the tackle on
Higgins. Hamlin’s heart was restored on the field and was as mentioned
transferred to UC hospital for further treatment and testing. No further
updates were provided on Tuesday about Hamlin’s condition.
Hamlin’s uncle Dorrian Glenn who was at
the game in the stands along with other members of Hamlin’s family told CNN in
a televised interview on Tuesday night outside of UC Medical Center and later
with ESPN’s Coley Harvey that his nephew’s heart was restarted a second time
after his arrival at the hospital.
“I just want to show my gratitude for the
medical staff that were on hand because if not for them, my nephew probably
wouldn’t have even been here,” Glenn told CNN.
“I never cried so hard in my life,” Glenn
added. “Just to know, like my nephew basically died on the field and they
brought him back to life. I mean, just heartbreaking.”
The Bills reported on Wednesday that
Hamlin spent the night in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at UCMC.
There was encouraging news on Wednesday
when it was reported that doctors lowered his oxygen levels that were necessary
for Hamlin to breath from 100 percent to 50 percent.
The so-called thumbs up about Hamlin’s
condition that the Bills, the NFL, and the entire nation had been waiting for
came Thursday when he awaken from sedation in his hospital bed and put a pen to
paper writing a question to the doctors that were treating him for cardiac
arrest asking in reference to the Bills versus Bengals contest, “Did we win?”
The answer Division Chief of General
Surgery at UCMC Dr. Timothy Pritts said on Thursday on a conference call with
the media is, “Yes Damar, you won. You’ve won the game of life.”
Hamlin regained his consciousness but
could only communicate via writing his thoughts while still being intubated. He
showed signs though that he was neurologically intact because of following
commands and being able to move both his hands and feet. He still remains in
critical condition in the ICU according to doctors, whose conference call with
the press on Thursday lasted nearly an hour, according to the UC doctors.
“Not only are the lights on, but he’s
home,” Dr. Pritts added about Hamlin’s condition at that moment.
The next hurdle that Hamlin needed to
clear is improvement in his lungs and ability to breathe independent of the
ventilator, which was keeping him being able to communicate verbally.
That step came overnight in the early
hours on Friday when Hamlin had his breathing tube removed in the early hours
of Friday morning, announced by his UCMC physicians via a statement from the
Bills which included that Hamlin’s continued to “progress remarkably in his
recovery. That his neurological function remains intact, according to those
physicians.
Bills head coach Sean McDermott made an
attempt to surprise his team by telling them of Hamlin’s improved condition
that he had “a treat in store” for their team meeting on Friday.
That surprise was Hamlin on a Zoom call in
that meeting where he told his teammates, “Love you boys.” Hamlin also flexed
during his Zoom call with his teammates
“When Hamlin popped up on the screen, the
players stood up right away, clapped and yelled some things to him,” per Coach
McDermott.
Bills left offensive tackle Dion Dawkins, said that Coach McDermott gave away the great news by how he entered the meeting room. That the “amount of expression” Coach McDermott had when he walked into the room. How he was smiling that meant the news he was about to share about Hamlin was going to be positive.
“The thing that makes me laugh is he did
this to the guys right away… he flexed on them, I guess,” McDermott said. “He
just got some staple things that they know him for, that he does. He made this
symbol [with his hands] probably more than anything. Then he gave them a thumbs
up. And then somewhere in the midst of that, it was a bit hard to hear but he
said, ‘I love you boys.’ And of course, that got the guys.”
That did not damper the spirits of Bills
offensive lineman Dion Dawkins who said in his Zoom presser about being able seeing
Hamlin that the excitement of seeing his teammate was “beautiful.” To see him
flex in the camera and then talk to the team Dawkins added was “everything.”
“It was literally everything and that’s
what we need. Literally that’s all we needed,” Dawkins said.
As happy as Coach McDermott was about Hamlin’s
recovery, just as happy was Bills Pro Bowl Quarterback Josh Allen, who said the
day on Thursday while fighting back tears at the Bills headquarters in Orchard
Park, NY that being on the field after seeing what occurred with Hamlin that
you, “lose sleep.”
“You hurt for your brother. A lot of
shared grief,” Allen added. “But getting positive updates eases so much of that
pain and that tension that you feel.”
At around 11:19 p.m. on Monday evening,
Allen said in a Tweet @JoshAllenQB asked the public to, “Please pray for our
brother.”
On Thursday, doctors said to reporters the
removal of the breathing tube would be an important step for Hamlin, who hopes
to return home to his family as soon as possible.
While it is way too soon to say the reason
why Hamlin’s heart stopped after making that tackle, Cardiac specialists
according to a report from New York’s Newsday said it may have been from
a rare type of trauma called commotio cordis.
Dr. Jennifer Haythe, Associate Professor
of Cardiology at Columbia University told ESPN Tuesday that Hamlin falling to ground
going unconscious came as a result of significant blunt trauma to his chest
during a tackle.
“Whether or not it was related to his
cardiac arrest is unclear. Whether this young man had underlying heart problem
that happened to manifest that day we don’t know,” Dr. Haythe said. “But when
he collapses and he needed CPR, that tells us he lost his pulse.”
Haythe added the fact that Hamlin needed
CPR fully says that Hamlin lost his pulse if the EMTs had not administered CPR as quickly as
they did, the chances that Hamlin surviving dropped by 10 percent.
Hamlin having a breathing tube in him is
something very common and not a surprise in this situation according to Dr.
Haythe because someone that needed CPR than they are unable to breath on their
own.
There was a point after Hamlin was taken
off the field in the ambulance about resuming the game after a five-minute
period after the participants had gathered themselves, which is what ESPN’s
play-by-play announcer Joe Buck said on the air.
But after how the players were visibly
shaken, there was no way that the game between the Bills and Bengals could continue.
Just moments after Hamlin collapsed and
did not get up again, ESPN’s telecast captured many of the players like Bills
defensive back Tre’Davious White and Pro Bowl wide receiver Stefon Diggs in
tears. Pro Bowl quarterbacks Josh Allen of the Bills and Joe Burrow of the
Bengals embraced after the incident.
“No one’s ever been through this,” Hall of
Fame Quarterback Troy Aikman, who led the Dallas Cowboys to three Super Bowls
in the 1990s said on ESPN’s telecast on
Monday night. “I’ve never seen anything like it either.”
Coach McDermott after Hamlin was carried
off to UCMC consulted with his players and even had a conversation with Bengals
head coach Zach Taylor. The call after that was for the players to their
respective locker rooms as the game was temporarily suspended at 9:18 p.m.,
with the ambulance leaving the stadium for UCMC at 9:25 p.m.
More conversations resumed after that
between both squads and NFL officials and game officials.
In a conference call with the media late
Monday night, former Philadelphia Eagles defensive back and now Executive Vice
President of the NFL Troy Vincent said that there was never a discussion of a
five-minute ramp-up to resume the game, even though ESPN did assert it was
giving a report of what they were told by the NFL and game officials in real
time.
“It never crossed our mind to talk about
warming up to resume,” Vincent said. “That’s ridiculous. That’s insensitive.”
The NFL did suspend the game at 10:01
p.m., which prompted many to ask why the game was not suspended immediately.
With an event that had thousands of people
in attendance from the fans, media, and support staff from both teams, any
interference could have cost Hamlin his life.
In the aftermath of what happened to
Hamlin, ESPN switched from game coverage to news coverage where they put their
best foot forward in making sure the precise and proper information was
reported from the broadcast booth in Buck, sideline reporter Lisa Salters,
studio hosts Suzy Kolber and Scott Van Pelt; ESPN’s NFL Insider Adam Schefter
and field reporters in Coley Harvey, Ben Baby, who is Bengals reports for ESPN
and Alaina Getzenberg who covers the Bills for ESPN.
Salters described the moments of the
players on both teams particularly the Bills were completely “shell shocked”
about what took place. She observed the Bills getting together on the sideline
trying to get refocused hearing Diggs rallying his teammates saying, “Let’s go!
Let’s go! Let’s refocus!”
She then said after that moment, the
players went back to being “emotionally distraught,” with many players on both
sides going back to the bench. Back to hugging one another. Taking a knee. Some
had towels on their faces and were “just openly sobbing.”
“At that point, it started to become clear
that this is not something these players are going to get over. There not going
to be wanting to play another down anytime soon,” Salters said of the scene on
the late-night edition of “Sportscenter.”
“This is a human being and all you can
really think about is, ‘I hope that guy [Hamlin] is okay?”
Salters, who was visibly shaken and close
to tears as she concluded her report added how we have seen players go down
with head, neck, knee, and foot injuries and as horrible as that is, we have
become accustomed to it. Like we have become accustomed to seeing players get
tackled or hit with incredible force. Remain on the ground for a little while and
get back up giving a thumbs up to indicate they are okay. That was the hope for
Hamlin and that did not come in that moment.
“Right now, all I can really think about
is that player, his teammates,” Salters said. “Just seeing agony on their
faces. The concern on their faces. They’re scared for him right now and they
should be. We all should be.”
Baby reported that he saw the ambulance
that Hamlin was in as it pulled into UCMC. He also reported that he saw those
in No. 3 jerseys, Hamlin’s jersey number, go up the tunnel just wanting to know
the state and condition sure like everyone that was at Paycor Stadium of Hamlin’s
condition.
Baby also reported that he was briefly in
the emergency room and got the sense from those that were working there, those
waiting to be treated, other patients all knew of the situation and everyone’s
thoughts and concerns were with Hamlin.
The Bills’ Diggs, Coach Taylor of the Bengals
and head trainer Matt Summers all come to UCMC and leave early Tuesday morning,
which spoke to the collaboration and concern on both sides about Hamlin.
Throughout this week it was Harvey who was
giving reports and updates about the Hamlin’s progress in recovery from that
hit he took from Higgins from how he was resuscitated on the field and again at
the hospital to how he eventually had as mentioned got off the ventilator. To
the strength Hamlin’s family displayed during a moment that might have broken
many people.
Getzenberg provided constant reports on
how the Bills were coping after seeing what happened to Hamlin from the hurt,
anger, and sadness they felt from what happened on Monday night to the joy they
felt at the close of this week when they got to see Hamlin functional via Zoom.
On Monday, Super Bowl champions during the
NFL playing days in former defensive lineman Anthony “Booger” McFarland and
safety Ryan Clark giving those that watched on television for their streaming
device a former players perspective on something even the most seasoned of pros
had never witnessed before.
McFarland said even before the NFL
officially suspended the Bills Bengals tilt officially that this was the only
option on the table.
He said that the game of football is
“entertainment” and that at that moment when Hamlin collapsed and was taken off
the field in an ambulance, those in attendance or watching the game from their
homes were “in the mood” or “the spirit” to be entertained at that moment.
“We’ll figure out the football game at
some other point in time, but it’s time for the NFL, the Players Association,
whoever needs to make a call, we’re done playing football tonight. We’re done.
Let’s move on.”
When Clark, who played in the NFL for the New
York Giants, Pittsburgh Steelers, and Washington Commanders said to Michael Eaves
on the late-night edition of “Sportscenter,” he said of what he saw to Hamlin that
moment was the “most afraid” he has ever been watching a football game.
It brought him back to 2007 while with the
Steelers when he suffered a life-threatening situation where he had to be taken
to a hospital to have his gall bladder and spleen removed.
In speaking with Van Pelt and then on the
later with Eaves, what took place with Hamlin is about a “young man” who was
just 24 years old living his dream about to play the biggest game of his NFL
career and that there is “probably nowhere else in the world he wanted to be.”
Then he was in a moment where he is fighting “for his life.”
“We use the cliches: ‘I’m ready to die for
this. I’m willing to give my life for this. It’s time to go to war.’ And I
think sometimes we use those things so much we forget that part of living this
dream is putting your life at risk, and tonight we got to see a side of
football that is extremely ugly, a side of football that no one wants to see or
never wants to admit exists,” Clark said, while showing visible emotion,
sadness, and anger.
Clark added in talking with Eaves that usually
when we see a player stand up he normally remains up, especially athletes that
are the best fit, physical, macho and healthiest men on Earth. That we saw
Hamlin take a routine hit, get up and then fall back to the floor with no life
in them.
Seeing something like Clarks said is “different”
than seeing someone with “head trauma.” Who hurts their anterior cruciate
ligament (ACL).
When you saw the Cincinnati Bengals
players and the Buffalo Bills players all drop to their knees and praying, it
is in this moment we saw athletes that are conditioned to ignore injuries, and
pain. That when one of your teammates leaves the game because of injury that we
can move the ball another 10 yards and continue either the game or practice.
When someone is getting carted off, we can move on.
When Hamlin went down and did not get up
or give a thumbs up to indicate he is okay, Clark said that was the moment where,
“there was no more playing again tonight.”
“There was no more next play because for Damar
Hamlin, there may not be a next play,” Clark added. “For Damar Hamlin, there
may not be another breath. These men tonight in all their years of football saw
something they have never seen.”
Clark brought the other human element into
this saying that Hamlin’s mother Nina was in the ambulance with her 24-year-old
son who at that moment might have been his last moments on Earth. That this was
about not just a son, but a brother, cousin, nephew friend and not about an athlete,
football player in this instance.
“The lives of Damar Hamlin and his family.
The lives of the Buffalo Bills. The lives of the Cincinnati Bengals are forever
changed tonight in a split second…,” Clark said.
One other former Steeler who understand
this situation of how your life can change in an instant is former linebacker
Ryan Shazier, who suffered a career-ending spinal cord injury five years ago
also on Monday Night Football at the Bengals Tweeted @RyanShazier, “Prayers for
Hamlin I hope everything is okay.”
Clark even said on the phone in talking with
fellow former Louisiana State University (LSU) Tiger and fellow ESPN NFL
analyst Marcus Spears that he could not ever imagine at age 24 he did not even
know he could die and that’s what Damar Hamlin faced on Monday night playing a
game he loves.
Seeing the sadness, tears, and absolute
shock of Bills and Bengals players on the field after what happened to Hamlin
brought Clark back to that moment in 2007 of his Steelers teammates visiting
him at the hospital and shedding tears by his bedside.
It was a reminder that NFL players are
human beings. That as much as they give to this great game we watch every
Thursday night, and Sunday afternoon and Sunday night from September to early
February, they also want to give to other things when they decide to move on
from the game or whether the game decides to move on from them.
They also have families and friends that
they want to be able to enjoy time with after the football season or when the
football career is over.
“The next time that we get upset at our
favorite fantasy player or we’re upset that the guy on our team doesn’t make
the play and we’re saying he’s worthless and we’re saying, ‘You get to make all
this money,’ we should remember that these men are putting their lives on the
line to live their dream,” Clark said.
“Tonight, Damar Hamlin’s dream became a
nightmare for not only himself but his family and his entire team.”
The other silver lining that came out of
this difficult moment is we learned about the kind of high character Hamlin had
from his Bills current and former teammates and the kind of good heart he has.
Hamlin’s teammate for four seasons at the
University of Pittsburgh and now Tennessee Titans linebacker Rashad Weaver
talked about how Hamlin had a clothing line called “Chasing M’s,” which is
about “chasing your dreams and chasing millions.”
Hamlin’s former college coach Pat Narduzzi
said that Hamlin, who grew up in Pittsburgh and had a determination to give
back to those need called him “a hero to thousands of Pittsburgh kids.”
“Damar, we love you. We are praying for
you. Pittsburgh’s always had your back. And now it’s obvious the entire country
has your back, too,” Coach Narduzzi added.
Players and fans from across the NFL and
sports landscape held vigils in Cincinnati and outside the Bills’ home field
“New Era Stadium.”
Along with having a clothing line,
Hamlin’s “Chasing M’s Foundation” was a toy drive where he was trying to raise
money to buy toys for needy kids that he started while playing to for the
Panthers.
Hamlin’s goal was to raise about $2,500.
In the first 24 hours after he was hurt on Monday night, $5.5 million dollars
was donated to his foundation.
As of December 2022, Hamlin’s foundation
had raised $2,291 was up to $5,495,550 by 9 p.m. Tuesday Eastern standard time
with close to 183,000 people making online donations of about an average of
$30, with some making smaller donations with others making donations above
$5,000.
On Friday, it was reported by the New
York Post that Hamlin’s foundation has raised $7.4 million. His father
Mario thanked those that donated on Wednesday while also asking for those
supporters to make further donations to the UCMC to support first responders.
On the night of and in the days that have
followed, we have seen many athletes via social media and in their pregame,
postgame interviews or before and after competition reach out and express their
thoughts and prayers to Hamlin and his recovery.
The Bills in the early hours of Tuesday
morning Tweeted @BuffaloBills with a photo of the team kneeling in prayer on
the field, “The thoughts and prayers of all of Bills Mafia are supporting you,
Damar.”
An earlier Tweet from the Bills was “Bills
Mafia is with you, @HamlinIsland.”
Bengals wideout Ja’Marr Chase Tweeted
@Real10jayy_, “I wanna send a prayer to Damar and his family.”
Kansas Chiefs Super Bowl winning QB
Patrick Mahomes II Tweeted @PatrickMahomes, “Praying hard…please be okay man.”
Arizona Cardinals defensive lineman JJ
Watt, who is set to retire at season's end Tweeted @JJWatt, “The game is not
important. Damar Hamlin’s life is important. Please be okay. Please.”
Following the Los Angeles Lakers’ 121-115
win at the Charlotte Hornets early Monday night, four-time NBA MVP, and four-time
NBA champion LeBron James, a native of Akron, OH said that he “thoughts and super
prayers” goes to the man above for Hamlin’s family and the “brotherhood” of the
NFL and all a part of the NFL family.
James also said that whoever made the call
to suspend the Bills-Bengals tilt and how “the safety” of all players in all
sports is “the most important.”
“It was a terrible thing to see,” James
said in reference to Hamlin collapsing on the field. “And I wish nothing but
the best for that kid. For the city of Buffalo. For the franchise of the Bills
and like I said for the rest of the NFL too as well and Bengals that was there
playing in that game.”
“I am a huge fan of the NFL. I’m a huge
football. You never want to see anything like that happen, even in the type of
competition that they’re playing in.”
In a Tweet on Tuesday, Major League
Baseball @MLB Tweeted about Hamlin, “We’re all in Damar Hamlin’s corner today.
All of us across MLB thinking of Damar, his family, his teammates, and all
those in the NFL.”
On Tuesday outside of the Highmark Stadium
in Orchard Park, NY a candlelight prayer vigil was held that was organized by
Jill Kelly, the wife of Hall of Fame quarterback of the Bills Jim Kelly, who
said in that prayer, “Power in prayer. Power in community. Power in
brotherhood. Add power and brotherhood for this Hamlin teammate.”
Dawkins in speaking with the media via
Zoom on Tuesday called Hamlin while rocking a hat from his “Chasing Ms”
clothing line a “beautiful and unique sole.” He added that Hamlin is a “nurturer
and true person.”
Dawkins also said that the team is “learning”
how to cope with this situation “together.” How this is not something the
average person will ever have to go through. But with something like this
happening, it should put a “shock” into everyone that is quick to on social media
and complain about an athlete when they do not perform well in a game.
“We’re all human and we try to be our best
all we possibly can,” Dawkins said. “At the end of the day, we are humans. We
have families and we care. We cry and we’re vulnerable. We have emotions and we
feel the same pain that the regular person feels.”
“Not every situation is promised and you
really need to chose as much love as possible and throw all other hate away.”
The Hamlin family displayed that love and
support that they have gotten from all that have reached out and donated in
droves to Hamlin’s foundation saying in a statement on Tuesday, “On behalf of
our family, we want to express our sincere gratitude for the love and support
shown to Damar during this challenging time. We are deeply moved by the
prayers, kind words, and donations from fans around the country.”
“We also want to acknowledge the dedicated
first responders and healthcare professionals at the University of Cincinnati
Medical Center who have provided exceptional care to Damar. We feel so blessed
to be part of the Buffalo Bills organization and to have their support. We also
want to thank Coach Taylor and the Bengals for everything they’ve done. Your
generosity and compassion mean the world to us. Please keep Damar in your
prayers We will have updates as soon as possible.”
One person who was extremely thankful for
the work the doctors and first responders work to keep alive Hamlin his uncle
Dorrian Glenn, who said to Harvey on Tuesday evening about going to see his nephew,
who was still sedated at that time that is was “heartbreaking.” That it was “gut
wrenching” to even go through the hospital.
“I turned around. I couldn’t do it,” Glenn
said about not wanting to see his nephew sedated. “I don’t want to see him like
that and I want to wait until he is able to recover and I can actually talk to
him and see my nephew again.”
“I’m just dealing with it, man. I mean my
nephew just—he was in a bad situation. He was in a scary situation, yesterday,
man and it really hurt to see that and I’m just happy that he’s still here to fight.
He still has a chance to get better. He still has chance to continue to be the
positive impact that he’s been on the community. I find a lot of blessings within
that.”
The positive impact that has been brought
to light in recent days about the kind of impact that Hamlin has had in
Pittsburgh with his foundation and the toy drive is something that he and Glenn
have talked about over the years that was planted by Hamlin’s uncle.
In his conversation with Harvey that he
told his nephew that there are “10 more” of him
that come from behind. That you are one of 10 other individuals that
will look and see what Hamlin is doing and want to follow in your footsteps in
giving back.
If nothing else, this moment has also
crystalized that we are all one community and when a situation like this
happens it is up to all of us to step up and be counted for.
That support continued over the course of
the week from some of the NFL’s leaders on the field.
On Tuesday via Twitter, six-time Super
Bowl champion Tom Brady of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers tweeted @TomBrady, “We’re
praying for Damar and his family this morning in Tampa. Moments like this put into
perspective what it means to play this game we love. Thankful for our
communities in Cincinnati and Buffalo for the overwhelming level of care and
support I know they’ll continue to provide.
Hall of Fame Quarterback and Super Bowl
champion of the San Francisco 49ers Steve Young Tweeted @SteveYoungQB, “All
line disappear there are no winners or losers, no separation by teams. No
matter where or when you played, today we are one family, one brotherhood
united in prayer for Damar.”
Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin said in his
media availability that he has known Hamlin since about age 12 and how he has a
lot of “respect” and “love” for Hamlin’s human side and his “commitment” to the
pursuit of his goals and dreams of being in the NFL and his endeavors off the gridiron.
On 106.7’s Washington D.C.’s “The Fan” Commanders
defensive tackle Jonathan Allen said Hamlin’s unfortunate situation is an
example how when you talk about the prospects of someone’s life, it shows how “insignificant”
football can be.
“I’m just really praying for him and his
family. I can’t imagine what they must be going through right now,” Allen said.
“You just want him to be okay. I mean, this is something you never want to see.”
Green Bay Packers Aaron Rodgers said on “The
Pat McAfee Show” on YouTube on Tuesday to watch one of your teammates, “someone
that you love” on the floor needing CPR, “that’s when it gets real.”
“They’re [the paramedics] are fighting to
save this guy’s life. Not in the locker room or in the hospital. Like on the
field. I can’t even imagine what that be like to go through,” Rodgers said.
“I just think your football mortality just
comes right face-to-face because one of your brothers in the fraternity of the
NFL is fighting for his life right now.”
Philadelphia Eagles head coach Nick
Sirianni told Sports Radio 94 WIP that this moment “puts everything into
perspective.” That a difficult last second loss or a blow defeat on Sunday or
Monday night.
To show how much the other 31 NFL squads
are thinking of Hamlin, they along with the NFL and NFL Network changed their
social media avatar accounts to a photo of “Pray For Damar” with his jersey No.
3, which he also wore at the University of Pittsburgh.
ESPN’s Senior NFL writer Jeremy Fowler,
who was at the Bills field where they held a prayer vigil for Hamlin said the
Bills had a team meeting on Tuesday for the players and coaches and someone
there told Fowler that the focus was on Hamlin and that “no news was good news.”
In speaking with a Hamlin representative
that while no hard update was yet available based on what was already released
by the family and Bills organization that the next few days were going to be critical
and that it is then all about patience and prayer.
Teammates and other members of the Bills described
Hamlin to Fowler as someone who was “easy to talk to” and who “greets”
everybody in the building. Those same teammates have used this moment to speak
out loud to and for Hamlin.
The news of Hamlin’s condition as “neurologically
intact” on Thursday and eventually being taken off the ventilator was welcome
news and rose the spirits of the Bills and the NFL as the week closed and they
showed that in photos that were posted on the Bills Twitter page from their
practice with them posing their thumbs up and giving the heart symbol.
In speaking with the press on Thursday,
Coach McDermott talked about after Hamlin got loaded into the ambulance that he
said that the team “needed some time” to decide if they can continue to play. The
NFL granted that request to both the Bills and Bengals.
McDermott also said that he addressed the
team and felt then it was going to be difficult to play again after seeing what
happened to their teammate. But McDermott wanted to at least give the option of
going back on the field Monday night to play.
But after talking to Allen and a couple of
the other captains, the decision was made that they did not want to go back out
and play.
Allen in that same presser said because he
and his teammates receiving those “positive updates” about Hamlin’s improved condition
put an ease to a great deal of the “pain” and “tension” the team felt then.
“Coach handled it perfect as anybody could,”
Allen said.
Getzenberg, who was at that presser said
that Allen normally does not like to give answers to questions with his
emotions. But those emotions were on display particularly when he said that every
person is going to be a little different going forward after seeing what happened
to Hamlin.
He did say though that “putting that
helmet” back on Thursday was a “pretty good” thing for the team. But added he
would be “lying” if he did not say that some of his teammates and members of
the Bills organization will be “changed” forever after being at the Bengals stadium
and seeing Hamlin go down and needing CPR just to brought back to life and
feeling the emotions that they did after that.
“The best way we can continue move forward
obviously the updates we keep getting on Damar really lift our spirts. Leaning
on each other. Talking to each other,” Allen said.
Allen also said that he and the team have
had some really “open, honest, and deep talks,” as well as some major embraces
as men where each time they hugged one another they really leaned into that hug.
That is something Allen said you need every bit of. On top of that consistently
hearing good news about Hamlin’s recovery has been a big key in pushing the
team forward.
Allen along with talking about how the
team is doing also came to the defense of the aforementioned Bengals wideout
Tee Higgins, who throughout the week has gotten a great deal of negative
thoughts towards him on social media.
“People should not be attacking him and I’m
glad Damar’s family came out and said that. Hopefully he found some relief today because
again that’s a football play and I hope that he doesn’t hold that upon himself because
there’s nothing else he could have done in that situation.”
In speaking with the media at his locker
on Thursday, Higgins said he was “not in a good place” to play the rest of the
game on Monday and that he was “glad” the game was cancelled.
“It’s been hard because I had something to
do with the play and what not. But everybody’s been making me feel whole again,”
Higgins said.
Higgins also said that he spoke with
Hamlin’s mother and everything is good. That she has been thinking of him and
praying for Higgins. That Hamlin is doing good and that put Higgins in a “good
place.”
“It’s hard to forget about. But at the end
of the day, we’re are professional football players. We do have a job to do and
just got to shift our focus and focus on the [Baltimore] Ravens.”
Higgins also pointed out in how the team
has gotten back on track is continue to pray for Hamlin each night before you
go to sleep and after you wake up the next day. But once you come to work, the focus
has to be on the Ravens.
That focus will be very important for the
Bills and Bengals because with their tilt now being canceled completely and the
NFL owners approved a plan that can create an AFC championship game at a neutral
site, which would come into play if the AFC title game is played between the
Chiefs or Bengals.
This came to fruition because the Bills
and Bengals with only 16 completed games versus 17 for the 30 other NFL squads.
Entering this weekend’s action, the Chiefs
(13-3) will clinch the top seed in the AFC with a victory Saturday afternoon at
the Las Vegas Raiders (6-10) or a loss by the Bills (12-3) on Sunday afternoon
versus the New England Patriots (8-8), who need a victory just to make the
Playoffs.
The Bills can clinch the No. 1 Seed in the AFC with a win and a loss by the Chiefs at the Raiders.
The Bengals have already clinched the AFC
North regardless of if they win or not Sunday afternoon versus the Baltimore
Ravens (10-6). The Bengals need to win versus the Ravens on Sunday to avoid
having to have the site of where their playoff tilt would take place via a coin
toss, which was also approved by the NFL owners on Friday.
In a tweet from Baby on the response by Bengals
Coach Taylor on the proposed Playoff changes @Ben_Baby, “It seems like there’s
positives for a lot of teams and negatives for us.”
The Bengals though have two things in
their favor. One their final regular season game is at home and they will be facing
a Ravens offensive attack that is without starting quarterback Lamar Jackson, who
has been on the shelf with a sprained knee and his understudy Tyler Huntley, who
has posted a 2-2 mark in Jackson’s absence this season has been limited in
practice the past three days with an injured right shoulder and wrist.
That means if Huntley cannot play, the
Ravens would start undrafted signal caller Anthony Brown and Brett Hundley
would be elevated from the practice squad to be Brown’s backup.
If the defending AFC champion Bengals cannot
win a game against a team that is on their third string quarterback then maybe
they are not the title team many have called them to be all season.
For the Bills, on Sunday they plan to honor
Hamlin in according to Getzenberg in “multiple ways” prior and during their tilt
versus the Patriots on Sunday. Bills players will be wearing patches on all
their jerseys with Hamlin’s No. 3 on it.
There is also a plan in the works by the
Bills to honor first responders as well as the trainers who saved Hamlin’s life
on Monday night.
League-wide, the NFL plans to show their
support for Hamlin by having a pregame moment of support as well as for first responders
and medical care givers. Teams can outline the “3” in each 30-yard line number
on field in Bills red or Bills blue. Each player can wear t-shirts displaying “Love
for Damar 3” during pre-game warm-ups.
As for Hamlin’s next steps in his recovery,
according to outside physicians who have spoken to Harvey over this past week,
not that the breathing tube has been removed, now comes an evaluation that last
from 12 to 24 hours. It is in this time period where doctors will see just how
well Hamlin is breathing on his own.
If the doctors are satisfied with Hamlin’s
breathing, he will be moved from UCMC’s ICU to the general floor of the
hospital. That could happen as early as Friday night or Saturday morning if all
goes well with that evaluation.
If Hamlin does get to the general floor,
his status will go from being in critical condition, which he has been since he
arrived at UCMC on Monday night to stable condition.
While he is on the general floor, he will
be evaluated further for the doctors to determine what caused Hamlin to go into
cardiac arrest.
It appears that Hamlin is out of the woods
of death, which is welcome news for him and his family, which Bills General
Manager Brandon Beane on Friday called, “the strongest people he has ever met.”
There were a lot of lessons that our
nation learned after what happened on Monday night to Buffalo Bills defensive
back Damar Hamlin.
We learned that the game of football,
especially professional football has gotten faster and stronger, and has inched
closer and closer to the line of risky, to titillating to terrifying, to what
happened at the start of this week fatal.
The way Hamlin went down, got up and then
fell back down unconscious rocked the core to those that watched the game, were
on ESPN’s broadcast, to the players and coaching staffs of the Bills and Bengals.
We also saw the exceptionalism of first
responders from those on the field that got to Hamlin and performed CPR on him when
he was on the ground of Paycor Stadium as well as at the University of Cincinnati
Medical Center.
We saw the kind of support of Bills and
Bengals organization who were right there for Hamlin and his family in their moment
of need and hopefully will continue to be there in Hamlin’s continued recovery.
What we also saw above is how tight knit
the professional sports community is when a tragic moment like this occurs
because we saw up close in real time the dark side of the sport of football
where you are one play away of not just your career being over but your life.
This moment is something that will have some
negative affects to where many current NFL players may retire at season’s end
whether. Many of those in playing football collegiately or in high school or at
any other lower level may stop playing because of what they saw happen to Hamlin.
While the football career of Damar Hamlin may possibly be over, he will at least be able to live to see better days. The question now is how does the game of football evolve if at all so that another episode like we saw on Monday night never happens again.
Information and quotations are courtesy of
1/3/2023 New York Newsday story, “Bills’ Hamlin Collapses,” By Mitch
Stacy of “The Associated Press;” 1/4/2023 New York Newsday stories, “Tears,
Prayers As Fans, Players Unite In Support,” By John Wawrow and Outpouring Swells
His GoFundMe Past $5M,” By Tim Reynolds of “The Associated Press;” 1/3/2023
1:30 a.m. edition of ESPN’s “Sportscenter” With Michael Eaves and Zubin Mehenti;
1/4/2023 1:30 a.m. edition ESPN’s “Sportscenter” from Los Angeles, CA With
Ashley Brewer and Neil Everett with reports from Coley Harvey and Jeremy Fowler;
1/6/2023 10 a.m. edition of ESPN’s “Sportscenter” With Gary Striewski and Randy
Scott, with report from Alaina Getzenberg; 1/6/2023 www.espn.com story, “Damar Hamlin Has Breathing Tube
Removed, FaceTimes With Bills,” By Alaina Getzenberg; and 1/7/2023 1:30 a.m.
ESPN’s “Sportscenter” From Los Angeles, CA With Linda Cohn and Stan Verrett
with report from Alaina Getzenberg and Coley Harvey.
