Bills safety Damar Hamlin collapsed on the field, was administered CPR and then was taken by ambulance to a local hospital, where he is in critical condition, according to the NFL, which postponed the game between Buffalo and the Cincinnati Bengals on Monday night.
Multiple Bills and Bengals players gathered around Hamlin in extreme concern as he was down and being helped by athletic trainers after he collapsed following a tackle.
Damar Hamlin took a big hit in the chest area during the first quarter in a collision with Bengals receiver Tee Higgins, who was running upfield after a catch. Hamlin got up after the play, then suddenly collapsed.
Reporters at the stadium said Hamlin was given CPR on the field. More than 15 minutes passed from the time Hamlin collapsed to when he was taken off the field.
A little after 10 p.m. ET, ESPN said on the broadcast that the game was suspended for the night, without an immediate update on whether or when the game would be played.
The NFL put out a statement that said, in part, that Hamlin was in critical condition at a local hospital.
Jordon Rooney, who said he is Hamlin’s marketing representative, offered an update saying Hamlin’s vital were “back to normal” and he was put to sleep to put a breathing tube down his throat.
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Quarterback Josh Allen asked for prayers for Hamlin from his Twitter followers.
After the injury, both coaches met with on-field officials. At about 9:17 p.m., a little more than 20 minutes after Damar Hamlin collapsed, officials said the game was temporarily suspended.
Both teams headed back to the locker room. Less than an hour later, after ESPN showed footage of Bills head coach Sean McDermott and Bengals head coach Zac Taylor taking turns talking on a cell phone outside of the locker rooms underneath the stadium, the game was suspended.
NFL executive vice president of football operations Troy Vincent said during a conference call that the league could see the players and coaches were “traumatized” as it discussed suspending the game.
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Vincent said the Bills were planning to return to Buffalo, with some players staying behind to be near Hamlin.
It was a frightening situation. ESPN showed several players, including Allen, who were emotional over what they had seen. Bills receiver Stefon Diggs was in tears on the field. He later, according to ESPN’s Coley Harvey, took an Uber to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center, where Hamlin is being treated.
An ambulance came on 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. As the ambulance left the field, the Bills took a knee in prayer.
“I’ve never seen anything like that before,” a somber Kurt Warner said on the NFL Radio broadcast.
Damar Hamlin, who is 24 years old, was a sixth-round pick in the 2021 draft out of Pittsburgh. He became a starter in Week 3 this season and has been a starter for the Bills since then.
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