Damar Hamlin: What what know about player's health, status of Bills-Bengals Week 17 game
Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin remains hospitalized at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center after suffering cardiac arrest during a game against the Cincinnati Bengals on Monday night.
Hamlin collapsed with 5:58 remaining in the first quarter of the game after making a tackle on Bengals receiver Tee Higgins. Hamlin's heartbeat was restored on the field after medical officials performed CPR. Hamlin then was transported to the hospital.
The NFL suspended the game. NFL VP of Football Operations Troy Vincent said players from both teams were "traumatized" by what they witnessed on the field, and players and coaches were in alignment about not finishing Monday’s game.
Here is the latest on the second-year Bills defensive back:
What happened to Damar Hamlin?
The 24-year-old defensive back suffered a cardiac arrest, the Bills announced Tuesday. The NFL confirmed to Paste BN an AED (automated external defibrillator) was used on the field before Hamlin's heartbeat was restored. He was then transferred to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center for further testing and treatment as he was sedated and clinging to life. Cardiac arrests are usually caused by abnormalities of the heart, but it's possible for a hard blow to the chest to trigger it.
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Who is Damar Hamlin?
Damar Hamlin overcame childhood adversity to rise to NFL starter. Hamlin is from McKees Rocks, Pennsylvania, played high school football at Central Catholic in Pittsburgh and then went on to play at the University of Pittsburgh from 2016-2020.
Hamlin was a sixth-round selection (No. 212 overall) by the Bills in the 2021 NFL draft. After spending most of his rookie season as a backup, Hamlin had made 13 starts for the Bills during the 2022 season.
In December 2020, Hamlin created a GoFundMe page to help raise funds to purchase toys for children ahead of the holidays. Through December 2022, Hamlin's GoFundMe had received $2,921 in donations. In less than 24 hours since Monday night's collapse, the page raised more than $5 million from more than 180,000 donors.
What is going to happen to Week 17 Bills-Bengals game?
The "Monday Night Football" game between the Bills and Bengals had huge playoff implications, but will not be completed in the coming days.
"After speaking with both teams and NFLPA leadership, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell informed the clubs today that the Bills-Bengals game will not be resumed this week," the NFL said in a statement. "The NFL has made no decision regarding the possible resumption of the game at a later date. The league has not made any changes to the Week 18 regular season schedule."
In Week 18, the Bengals are scheduled to host the Baltimore Ravens, while the Bills are hosting the New England Patriots in their regular-season finale.
Reaction to Damar Hamlin situation
- NFL had no choice but to suspend the big game: An imbalanced schedule for the Bills and Bengals in the playoff mix wouldn’t be a worst-case scenario. Football can wait, Jarrett Bell writes.
- Tragic moment reminds us NFL players are human: There are many times we don't think of NFL players as human beings. The injury to Buffalo's Damar Hamlin should change that forever, Mike Freeman writes.
- Bengals and their fans show 'Football is Family': While credit goes to team trainers and medical responders after Damar Hamlin's collapse, the Bengals and their fans deserve recognition, too, Nate Davis writes.
- ESPN's coverage of Damar Hamlin collapse was done with right tone: The network's reporters and broadcasters delivered in an unprecedented situation, Chris Bumbaca writes.