By MITCH STACY (AP Sports Writer)
CINCINNATI (AP) — Buffalo defensive again Damar Hamlin was in essential situation early Tuesday after the Bills say his coronary heart stopped following a sort out throughout the Monday Night Football recreation, which was indefinitely postponed.
Hamlin collapsed on the sphere throughout the first quarter of the nationally televised recreation towards the Cincinnati Bengals and was given medical remedy for almost 20 minutes earlier than being taken to a hospital.
“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,” the Bills stated in an announcement. “He is currently sedated and listed in critical condition.”
Jordon Rooney, a household consultant who described himself as an excellent good friend of the participant, instructed ABC’s “Good Morning America” on Tuesday that Hamlin’s family are in good spirits however going by lots and want their privateness. He declined to provide particulars on Hamlin’s situation apart from to say he’s sedated.
“All I can say is he’s fighting; he’s a fighter,” Rooney stated.
In a chilling scene, Hamlin was administered CPR on the sphere, ESPN reported, whereas surrounded by teammates, a few of them in tears, whereas they shielded him from public view. He was damage whereas tackling Bengals receiver Tee Higgins on a seemingly routine play that didn’t seem unusually violent.
The NFL introduced Hamlin’s situation shortly after he was taken to a hospital, however neither the league nor the hospital launched every other particulars concerning the 24-year-old’s medical situation. The crew’s assertion was launched earlier than its flight arrived again in Buffalo early Tuesday. There was no instant replace concerning the future standing of the sport.
On the play the 6-foot, 200-pound Hamlin was injured, Higgins led together with his proper shoulder, which hit the defensive again within the chest. Hamlin then wrapped his arms round Higgins’ shoulders and helmet to pull him down. Hamlin shortly received 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 sphere by crew and unbiased medical personnel and native paramedics, and he was taken by ambulance to University of Cincinnati Medical Center. Teammate Stefon Diggs later joined Hamlin on the hospital.
About 100 Bills followers and some Bengals followers gathered on a nook one block from the emergency room entrance, a few of them holding candles.
Jeff Miller, an NFL govt vp, instructed reporters on a convention name early Tuesday that the league had made no plans right now to play the sport, including that Hamlin’s well being was the principle focus.
An ambulance was on the sphere 4 minutes after Hamlin collapsed whereas many gamers embraced, together with quarterbacks Buffalo’s Josh Allen and Cincinnati’s Joe Burrow.
“Please pray for our brother,” Allen tweeted.
Hamlin collapsed at 8:55 p.m., and when he was taken off the sphere about 19 minutes later in what appeared like an eternity, the Bills gathered in prayer. A couple of minutes after the ambulance left the sphere, the sport was suspended, and gamers walked off the sphere slowly and into their locker rooms the place they awaited phrase on Hamlin and the sport.
“I’ve never seen anything like it since I was playing,” NFL govt Troy Vincent, a six-time Pro Bowl cornerback throughout his profession, stated within the convention name early Tuesday. “Immediately, my player hat went on, like, how do you resume playing after seeing a traumatic event in front of you?”
Hamlin’s uniform was lower off as he was attended to by medical personnel. ESPN reported on its telecast that Hamlin was additionally given oxygen.
Vincent stated the league took no steps towards restarting the sport and didn’t ask gamers to start a five-minute warmup interval as ESPN’s broadcasters had introduced.
“It never crossed our mind to talk about warming up to resume play,” Vincent stated. “That’s ridiculous. That’s insensitive. That’s not a place we should ever be in.”
Vincent stated the Bills had been returning early Tuesday morning to the crew facility in Orchard Park, New York, apart from a couple of gamers who stayed behind with Hamlin.
There was a heavy police presence at Buffalo Niagara International Airport when the crew arrived at about 2:45 a.m. A small group of followers gathered throughout the road from the gamers’ parking space close to the airport. Police blocked off the street to permit the gamers to go away.
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 everyone in our community is praying for Damar Hamlin,” the gamers’ union stated in an announcement. “We have been in touch with Bills and Bengals players, and with the NFL. The only thing that matters at this moment is Damar’s health and well being.”
The unfinished recreation has main playoff implications because the NFL enters the ultimate week of the common season, with the wild-card playoff spherical scheduled to start on Jan. 14.
The aftermath of the harm was harking back to when Bills tight finish Kevin Everett lay immobile on the sphere after making a sort out on the second-half opening kickoff in Buffalo’s 2007 season-opening recreation towards the Denver Broncos.
Everett sustained a spinal wire harm that originally left him partially paralyzed.
Hamlin spent 5 years of school 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 Bills in 2021, performed in 14 video games as a rookie after which turned a starter this 12 months as soon as Micah Hyde was misplaced for the season to harm.
By late Monday evening, a group toy drive organized by Hamlin had surged to greater than $1.2 million in donations. His acknowledged aim was $2,500.
Kathryn Bersani and her mom, Gayle, had been among the many Bills followers who traveled from Buffalo for the sport and went to the hospital from the stadium.
“This is our family Christmas,” Kathryn Bersani stated. “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 sport at dwelling.
“This is much more important than football,” Chuck Kohl stated. “Had to come and pray for Mr. Hamlin.”
Entering the sport, 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 best of us. We love you, 3,” the tweet stated, referring to Hamlin by his faculty jersey quantity. “Praying for you.”
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AP freelancer Jeff Wallner, AP Pro Football Writer Rob Maaddi and AP Sports Writers John Wawrow and Ben Nuckols contributed to this report.
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Source: www.bostonherald.com”