Bills safety Damar Hamlin was in crucial situation after he collapsed on the sector Monday evening, the NFL mentioned, and Buffalo’s recreation towards the Cincinnati Bengals was suspended.
Hamlin was administered CPR on the sector, ESPN reported, and he was surrounded by teammates, a few of them in tears, after he was damage whereas tackling Bengals receiver Tee Higgins.
Higgins led together with his proper shoulder, which hit Hamlin within the chest. Hamlin then wrapped his arms round Higgins’ shoulders and helmet to pull him down. Hamlin obtained to his ft, appeared to regulate his face masks together with his proper hand, after which fell backward about three seconds later and lay immobile.
Hamlin was handled on the sector by crew and independent medical personnel and native paramedics, the NFL mentioned, and he was taken by ambulance to College of Cincinnati Medical Middle. Teammate Stefon Diggs later joined Hamlin on the hospital.
About 100 Payments followers and some Bengals followers gathered on a nook one block from the emergency room entrance with a few of them holding candles.
The NFL introduced greater than an hour after the harm that the sport wouldn’t resume.
“Our ideas are with Damar and the Buffalo Payments. We are going to present extra data because it turns into accessible,” the league mentioned in an announcement. “The NFL has been in fixed communication with the NFL Gamers Affiliation which is in agreement with suspending the sport.”
An ambulance was on the sector 4 minutes after Hamlin collapsed, with many gamers in tears, together with cornerback Tre’Davious White. The quarterbacks — Buffalo’s Josh Allen and Cincinnati’s Joe Burrow — embraced.
“Please pray for our brother,” Allen tweeted.
Hamlin collapsed at 8:55 p.m., and when he was taken off the sector about 19 minutes later, the Payments gathered in prayer. A couple of minutes after the ambulance left the sector, the sport was suspended, and gamers walked off the sector slowly and into their locker rooms.
Hamlin’s uniform was lower off and he seemed to be getting CPR from medical personnel. ESPN reported on its telecast that Hamlin was additionally given oxygen.
“Nobody’s been by way of this,” Professional Soccer Corridor of Fame quarterback Troy Aikman mentioned on the ESPN telecast. “I’ve by no means seen something prefer it, both.”
The Bengals led 7-3 within the first quarter of a recreation between groups vying for the highest playoff seed within the AFC. Cincinnati entered at 11-4 and main the AFC North by one recreation over Baltimore, whereas AFC East champion Buffalo was 12-3.
“The NFLPA and everybody in our community is praying for Damar Hamlin,” the gamers’ union mentioned in an announcement. “We’ve been in contact with Payments and Bengals gamers, and with the NFL. The one factor that issues at this second is Damar’s well being and nicely being.”
It was unknown when or if the sport would resume because the NFL enters the ultimate week of the common season. The result has main playoff implications with the wild-card spherical scheduled to start on Jan. 14.
The aftermath of the harm was reminiscent of when Payments tight finish Kevin Everett lay immobile on the sector after making a deal with on the second-half opening kickoff in Buffalo’s 2007 season-opening recreation towards the Denver Broncos.
Everett sustained a spinal twine harm that originally left him partially paralyzed.
The 24-year-old Hamlin spent 5 years of faculty at Pittsburgh — his hometown — and appeared in 48 video games for the Panthers over that span. He was a second-team All-ACC performer as a senior, was voted a crew captain and was picked to play within the Senior Bowl.
He was drafted within the sixth spherical by the Payments in 2021, performed in 14 video games as a rookie after which grew to become a starter this yr as soon as Micah Hyde was misplaced for the season to harm.
By late Monday evening, a neighborhood toy drive organized by Hamlin had surged to greater than $1.2 million in donations. His said aim was $2,500.
Kathryn Bersani and her mom, Gayle, had been among the many Payments followers who traveled from Buffalo for the sport and went to the hospital from the stadium.
“That is our household Christmas,” Kathryn Bersani mentioned. “We thought it might be an ideal recreation. Joe (Burrow) and Josh (Allen) are such nice males. Unhappy, unhappy time. Such a shock. I simply hope he can stay a traditional life. It surprised us.”
Chuck and Janet Kohl went to the hospital after watching the sport at dwelling.
“That is way more necessary than soccer,” Chuck Kohl mentioned. “Needed to come and pray for Mr. Hamlin.”
Coming into the sport, the 6-foot, 200-pound Hamlin had 91 tackles, together with 63 solo tackles, and 1 1/2 sacks.
A tweet from the Pitt soccer account was easy and clear: “Damar Hamlin is the perfect of us. We love you, 3,” the tweet mentioned, referring to Hamlin by his faculty jersey quantity. “Praying for you.”
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