“Please continue to pray for Damar and his family. We currently have no update at this time. Will ask that you keep the family in your prayers” Hamlin’s registered NFL agent, Ira Turner of Agency 1 Sports Group, said in a statement, according to the Buffalo News.
Buffalo Bills Give Early Morning Update on Player Whose Collapse Ended 'Monday Night Football'
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The Buffalo Bills revealed Tuesday that safety Damar Hamlin suffered a cardiac arrest Monday night during the team’s nationally broadcast contest against the Cincinnati Bengals.
The “Monday Night Football” game was suspended after the incident, which took place with 5:58 to play in the first quarter, according to CBS.
“Damar Hamlin suffered a cardiac arrest following a hit in our game versus the Bengals,” the Bills announced in a tweet.
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“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,” the statement said, referring to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center.
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
Video of the incident was posted to Twitter.
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Warning: This may be disturbing for some viewers to watch.
Doctors confirm #DamarHamlin suffered cardiac arrest on field, remains in critical condition.Not only is this NOT NORMAL (has this ever happened in pro football where “hard tackle” = cardiac arrest?) but it is “suddenly” happening ACROSS SPORTS since 2020, hundreds of times. pic.twitter.com/GilAn4sgM3
— Ben Swann (@BenSwann_) January 3, 2023
As Hamlin, 24, went to tackle Bengals receiver Tee Higgins, the Cincinnati player’s helmet appeared to hit Hamlin in the chest. Hamlin initially stood after the tackle, but then crumpled to the field.
Medical personnel then rushed to the field to treat Hamlin, who was taken off the field in an ambulance.
Multiple #Bills players are unable to look. Several appear to be in tears.
— Jay Skurski (@JaySkurski) January 3, 2023
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After a delay, the league announced the game was postponed.
“Tonight’s Buffalo Bills-Cincinnati Bengals game has been postponed after Buffalo Bills’ Damar Hamlin collapsed, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell announced,” the league said in a statement.
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“Hamlin received immediate medical attention on the field by team and independent medical staff and local paramedics. He was then transported to a local hospital where he is in critical condition. Our thoughts are with Damar and the Buffalo Bills. We will provide more information as it becomes available. The NFL has been in constant communication with the NFL Players Association which is in agreement with postponing the game,” the NFL statement said.
Coy Wire, now a CNN sports anchor and a former Buffalo player, said the response to the incident shows the NFL is changing, according to CNN.
“Seeing those images scratched open a lot of mental wounds for me personally. I played six of my NFL seasons there, in Buffalo, in that stadium. I played the same position. I played safety there. I’ve experienced injury, loss of consciousness … I’ve been in situations where an ambulance has come on the field, so it resonates,” said Wire, who played for Buffalo from 2002 to 2007.
Should the game have been halted after this incident?
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He cited two instances where players were paralyzed on the field, CNN reported.
“In both of those games, ambulances came to the field, there were players huddled, there were tears, there was crying – just like we saw last night,” he said. “But those games went on. The one last night did not. I think that’s a huge statement that’s being made.”
Praying 🙏🏽 for #DamarHamlin pic.twitter.com/eIP3ELKLCL
— Yolanda Conley Shields (@YolandaSpeakBiz) January 3, 2023
Former NFL player Donté Stallworth told CNN that moving on from the incident will be hard for the players who witnessed it.
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“It’s going to be difficult,” Stallworth said, adding, “For the guys getting back on the field, it’s going to be tough because that is all they are thinking about.”
Stallworth said his attitude toward hard hits on the field has changed since he retired from the game in 2013.
“Now I watch the games and I just kind of shriek at every little hit I see. My mindset is completely different now that I’ve been removed from the game nine, 10 years. I’m looking at these guys and I’m looking at where they are going to be 10, 15, 30 years down the road as opposed to what’s going to happen the next play,” he said.
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