Buffalo Bills player Damar Hamlin suffered a cardiac arrest and was rushed to hospital where he remains in a critical condition hours after he tackled a rival Cincinnati Bengals receiver.
In a chilling scene, Hamlin, 24, was administered CPR on the field while surrounded by teammates, some of them in tears, as they shielded him from public view.Â
The Buffalo Bills safety had tackled Bengals receiver Tee Higgens in the first quarter of the pivotal Monday night match and got up briefly before falling backwards to the ground and laying motionless.Â
Higgens led the outpouring of well wishes for the young player, tweeting that he ‘prays Hamlin will pull through’ as the player remains in critical condition at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center.
Hamlin’s family were at the game when he collapsed and his mother Nina traveled with him to hospital in the ambulance, reports ESPN. About 100 Bills fans and a few Bengals fans gathered on a corner one block from the hospital’s emergency room entrance, some of them holding candles.
Fans of the Buffalo Bills and the Cincinnati Bengals gathered outside the hospital where Hamlin was being treated, desperately waiting for an update on his condition
Hamlin (No 3) got on his feet briefly after making the tackle on Higgins before falling backwards in shocking scenes as the Buffalo Bills played Cincinnati Bengals
Hamlin collapsed moments later, falling backwards and laying motionless on the floor
Medics ran onto the pitch to treat Hamlin after he collapsed on the floor following a tackle on Monday
Bills players were visibly stunned as their teammate received life-saving treatment on the field
Buffalo Bills players collapse in anguish after Hamlin suffered cardiac arrest during Monday night’s game
Buffalo Bills players and staff pray for Buffalo Bills’ Damar Hamlin after he collapsedÂ
Hamlin’s friend and marketing rep Jordon Rooney said on Twitter: ‘His vitals are back to normal and they have put him to sleep to put a breathing tube down his throat. They are currently running tests. ‘We will provide updates as we have them.’
The Bills later tweeted: ‘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.’
Higgins led the well wishes sent to Hamlin on Twitter, writing: ‘My prayers and thoughts go out to @HamlinIslandthe Hamlin Family. I’m praying that you pull through bro. Love.’
On the play the 6-foot, 200-pound Hamlin was injured, Higgins led with his right shoulder, which hit the defensive back in the chest. Hamlin then wrapped his arms around Higgins’ shoulders and helmet to drag him down.Â
Hamlin quickly got to his feet, appeared to adjust his face mask with his right hand, and then fell backward about three seconds later and lay motionless.
Hamlin was surrounded by players from both sides and treated for 16 minutes before being immobilized and taken off the field. While medical personnel were gathered around Hamlin, his playing uniform was cut off.
Players on both teams were visibly stunned by what had happened and many were in tears on the field.Â
Many players embraced, including quarterbacks Buffalo’s Josh Allen and Cincinnati’s Joe Burrow. The game was postponed by the NFL.
‘Please pray for our brother,’ Allen tweeted.Â
Bills players were visibly praying for their teammate after he was driven away. According to ESPN, Hamlin’s family, including his mom Nina, were watching the game and came down to be with him as he left in the ambulance.
Hamlin is incredibly close to his family – and footage from November 20 shows the player greeting his family and hugging his mom before Buffalo’s win over Cleveland.
Hamlin’s agent Ira Turner told NFL Network: ‘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.’
‘I’ve never seen anything like it since I was playing,’ NFL executive Troy Vincent, a six-time Pro Bowl cornerback during his career, said in the conference call early Tuesday morning. ‘Immediately, my player hat went on, like, how do you resume playing after seeing a traumatic event in front of you?’
Hamlin is incredibly close to his family – and footage from November 20 shows the player greeting his family and hugging his mom before Buffalo’s win over Cleveland
Fans gather for a vigil at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center for football player Damar Hamlin of the Buffalo Bills, who collapsed after making a tackle during the game against the Cincinnati Bengals on Monday in Cincinnati, OhioÂ
Fans gather for a vigil at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center for football player Damar Hamlin of the Buffalo Bills, who collapsed after making a tackle during the game against the Cincinnati Bengals on Monday in Cincinnati, Ohio
Cam Lewis and Siran Neal of the Buffalo Bills react in shock to teammate Hamlin collapsing
Josh Allen #17 of the Buffalo Bills and teammates react to an injury sustained by Damar Hamlin
Bills players watch on as Hamlin is taken into an ambulance and rushed to hospital
Hamlin’s uniform was cut off as he was attended to by medical personnel. ESPN reported on its telecast that Hamlin was also given oxygen.
During the match, the ESPN Monday Night Football broadcast cut to commercial on four occasions as Hamlin was receiving treatment. After the ambulance had left the field, reports initially suggested the game was going to restart following a five-minute warm-up, prompting an outpouring of anger on social media.Â
Vincent said the league took no steps toward restarting the game and did not ask players to begin a five-minute warmup period as ESPN’s broadcasters had announced.
‘It never crossed our mind to talk about warming up to resume play,’ Vincent said. ‘That’s ridiculous. That’s insensitive. That’s not a place we should ever be in.’
A statement released by the league read: ‘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.’
Emotions ran high for ESPN’s broadcast crew, as analyst Booger McFarland offered an important bit of perspective. Â
‘When you bring CPR out, you’re trying to help someone breathe. We’re talking life or death now,’ he said.
‘That’s real. What we do is just a game. When you involve life and death, it’s totally different.’
‘No one’s been through this,’ longtime NFL quarterback Troy Aikman added. ‘I’ve never seen anything like it, either.’
ESPN Senior NFL Insider Adam Schefter weighed in as well, saying: ‘It is all about this young man and how he’s doing.
‘Everybody is thinking and praying for him, every team, every player, every individual, everybody who’s watching Monday night football, everybody who tuned in to see this highly anticipated game, nobody cares about that right now.’
Footage emerged later of Hamlin’s ambulance arriving at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center.Â
Isaiah McKenzie grabs his jersey as he reacts to Hamlin’s injury
Bills quarterback Josh Allen is surrounded by his teammates after his teammate was injuredÂ
Bills cornerback Siran Neal (33) and running back Nyheim Hines (20) embrace one another
Bills teammates prayed for Hamlin after the injury occurred
The Bills’ Ed Oliver reacts after teammate Hamlin is hurt in the first quarter of the game
The aftermath of the injury was reminiscent of when Bills tight end Kevin Everett lay motionless on the field after making a tackle on the second-half opening kickoff in Buffalo’s 2007 season-opening game against the Denver Broncos.
Everett sustained a spinal cord injury that initially left him partially paralyzed.
Hamlin spent five years of college at Pittsburgh – his hometown – and appeared in 48 games for the Panthers over that span. He was a second-team All-ACC performer as a senior, was voted a team captain and was picked to play in the Senior Bowl.
He was drafted in the sixth round by the Bills in 2021, played in 14 games as a rookie and then became a starter this year once Micah Hyde was lost for the season to injury.
By late Monday night, a community toy drive organized by Hamlin had surged to more than $3 million in donations. His stated goal was $2,500.
A video emerged Monday night of Hamlin participating in the toy drive for children during his time at Pitt, in which the budding player spoke up about his reasons for giving back.
‘Just seeing role models in person. I feel like that’s big in kids’ lives and that’s something that we haven’t always had in Pittsburgh,’ he said.
‘Just being younger and seeing the difference from some people that had that role models in their life.Â
‘It could be you all you have to do is just work hard, stay focused. I’m thankful that I can even be in this position to give back.’
Hamlin also created ‘The Chasing M’s Foundation’ to ‘positively impact the community that raised me,’ with the charity’s first program a toy drive for the holidays in December 2020.
He explained his motivation for giving back on the toy drive’s GoFundMe page, with his third annual toy drive being held last week.
‘As I embark on my journey to the NFL, I will never forget where I come from and I am committed to using my platform to positively impact the community that raised me,’ he said.Â
This campaign gives you the opportunity to contribute to our first initiative and positively impact children who have been hardest hit by the pandemic.
‘Thank you so much for supporting me on and off the field. I am grateful to have the opportunity to work with you to help make the holiday season a little brighter for the kids in our community.’
Initially set for a goal of $2,500, the page was flooded with donations on Monday after news of his serious injury, with the page having $2.6million in donations at the time of writing.
That’s nearly double Hamlin’s base salary of $825,000 for this season.
Kathryn Bersani and her mother, Gayle, were among the Bills fans who traveled from Buffalo for the game and went to the hospital from the stadium.
‘This is our family Christmas,’ Kathryn Bersani said. ‘We thought it would be a great game. Joe (Burrow) and Josh (Allen) are such great men. Sad, sad time. Such a shock. I just hope he can live a normal life. It stunned us.’
Chuck and Janet Kohl went to the hospital after watching the game at home.
‘This is much more important than football,’ Chuck Kohl said. ‘Had to come and pray for Mr. Hamlin.’
Entering the game, Hamlin had 91 tackles, including 63 solo tackles, and 1 1/2 sacks.
A tweet from the Pitt football account was simple and clear: ‘Damar Hamlin is the best of us. We love you, 3,’ the tweet said, referring to Hamlin by his college jersey number. ‘Praying for you.’
