Buffalo Damar Hamlin’s security recovered his heartbeat in the field after suffering a cardiac arrest during the team’s game Monday night against the Bengals, and is currently in critical condition at a hospital in Cincinnati, the Bills said in an early statement Tuesday morning.
The cold scene in the middle of the opening quarter of Monday night’s showdown between the two NFL powers led the league to postpone the game about 90 minutes after the launch.
CPR was administered to Hamlin, 24, in the field for several minutes after he collapsed after his attack on Bengals wide receiver, Tee Higgins. Hamlin received oxygen, according to ESPN’s transmission, when he was placed in the ambulance and removed from the field about 16 minutes after his collapse and then taken to the nearby University of Cincinnati Medical Center.
According to the law, he is currently sedated and in critical condition. The University of Cincinnati Medical Center does not plan to make any statements early Tuesday morning.
Several Bills and Bengal players gathered around Hamlin with extreme concern when he was downstairs and received help from athletic coaches after collapsing after an attack. Hamlin had a big hit in the chest area during the first quarter in a collision with Bengals receiver Tee Higgins, who was running into the field after a capture. Hamlin got up after the play, and suddenly collapsed.
The reporters at the stadium said Hamlin had been resuscitated in the field. It’s been more than 15 minutes since Hamlin collapsed until he was taken off the field. Shortly after 10:00 p.m., ESPN reported on the show that the game had been suspended for the night, without being immediately updated to see if or when the game would be played.
The NFL issued a statement saying, in part, that Hamlin was in critical condition in a local hospital.
Jordon Rooney, who said he was Hamlin’s marketing representative, made the point by saying that Hamlin’s essentials were “back to normal” and that he was asleep to put a breathing tube in his throat.
Quarterback Josh Allen asked his Twitter followers to pray for Hamlin.
After the injury, the two coaches met with officials on the ground. At around 9:17 p.m., just over 20 minutes after Hamlin collapsed, officials said the match had been temporarily suspended. Both teams are going back to the locker room. Less than an hour later, after ESPN showed footage of Sean McDermott and Zac Taylor, head coach of the Bengals, taking turns talking on a cell phone outside the locker room under the stadium, the game was suspended.
Troy Vincent said during a conference call that the league could see that the players and coaches were “traumatized” when it discussed the suspension of the game.
Vincent said the Bills are planning to return to Buffalo with some players holding back to be near Hamlin.
It was a scary situation. ESPN showed several players, including Allen, who were emotional about what they had seen. Bill’s recipient, Stefon Diggs, was in tears on the field. Later, after ESPN’s Coley Harvey, he took an Uber to the Cincinnati University Center, where Hamlin is being treated.
An ambulance came to the field. Reporters, including ESPN Sideline reporter Lisa Salters, said Hamlin received CPR on the field. After a long delay, Hamlin was put on a backboard and loaded into the ambulance. When the ambulance left the field, the Bills took a knee in prayer.
“I’ve never seen anything like it,” said a sad Kurt Warner on NFL radio.
Hamlin, 24, was a sixth in the 2021 Pittsburgh draft. He became a starter in the third week of this season and has been a starter for the Bills ever since.
