Damar Hamlin: Buffalo Bills player in critical condition but showing ‘signs of improvement’ as support offered to Tee Higgins | NFL News

January 4, 2023 admin

NFL player Damar Hamlin remains in a critical condition in hospital, but with “signs of improvement,” according to a statement from the Buffalo Bills on Wednesday.

Hamlin suffered a cardiac arrest during the game between the Bills and Cincinnati Bengals on Monday night, with CPR administered on the field for approximately 10 minutes before he was taken to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center.

The statement from the Bills, posted on Twitter, said Hamlin “is expected to remain under intensive care as his health care team continues to monitor and treat him.”

The 24-year-old Bills defensive back had collapsed to the ground after making what appeared to be a routine tackle on Bengals receiver Tee Higgins midway through the first quarter of Monday’s game.

According to his marketing representative and friend, Jordan Rooney, Hamlin’s condition was “moving in a positive direction”.

Speaking to the NFL Network on Wednesday, Rooney also clarified that Hamlin was “resuscitated once”, on the field. Hamlin’s uncle, Dorrian Glenn, had told CNN on Tuesday evening that his nephew had been resuscitated a second time at the hospital.

“Right now things are moving in a positive direction,” Rooney said.

“There’s not clarity at this point about how long it’s going to take and where things are going to go. For the family, it’s just a matter of seeing more positive signs and hopefully building on that.”

Glenn, speaking earlier on Wednesday to NFL Network reporter Cameron Wolfe, said: “They’re trying to get his lungs back to full strength.

“He was 100 per cent assisted by ventilators [Tuesday]. He’s improved, up to 50 per cent. That’s an upward trend and we’re thankful for that.”

In a statement issued on Tuesday, Hamlin’s family said they would provide updates on his wellbeing “as soon as we have them”.

“On behalf of our family, we want to express our sincere gratitude for the love and support shown to Damar during this challenging time. We are deeply moved by the prayers, kind words and donations from fans around the country,” said the family’s statement, which was released via Hamlin’s agent.

“We also want to acknowledge the dedicated first responders and healthcare professionals at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center who have provided exceptional care to Damar. We feel so blessed to be part of the Buffalo Bills organization and to have their support.”

The Bills, who had confirmed Hamlin’s cardiac arrest in a statement late on Monday night, issued a follow-up statement on Tuesday which stated: “We are grateful and thankful for the outpouring of support we have received thus far.”

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

Niagara Falls, Old County Hall and Peace Bridge in Buffalo City are lit in blue in support of Damar Hamlin, who suffered a cardiac arrest during the game between the Buffalo Bills and Cincinnati Bengals

Team-mates, NFL players offer Higgins support | ‘A freak accident’; ‘Nothing you can do’

Team-mates and other NFL players offered their support on Wednesday for Bengals receiver Higgins, saying he did nothing wrong on the play that caused Hamlin to go into cardiac arrest.

“There’s nothing you can do about that hit,” quarterback Joe Burrow said after the Bengals practised for the first time since the incident. “That hit happens on every play of every single game. That’s the scary part about it.”

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

Cincinnati Bengals head coach Zac Taylor said his thoughts and prayers are with Hamlin

Dallas Cowboys linebacker Micah Parsons pushed back at former NFL player Bart Scott, who suggested on ESPN that Higgins was partially at fault for lowering his head and throwing his body into Hamlin’s chest after catching a 13-yard pass.

“(A)re we serious?!!? why do we let some people speak on tv?!,” Parsons tweeted in response to Scott’s comments. “This was a freak incident but putting fault on another player is wild!”

Bengals receiver Tyler Boyd was more direct, tweeting in response to Scott: “straight bozo.”

Bengals defensive tackle D.J. Reader said Hamlin and Higgins were simply out there playing at full speed: “It’s just what happens sometimes, and it’s just such a freak accident,” Reader said.

“You can’t take your foot off the gas as a defender or an offensive player out there. If you’re playing lightly, you’re going to take your risk of getting hurt. It’s the only way to play this game. You got to play 100 miles an hour, and that’s how you go about it.”

Chicago Bears centre Sam Mustipher said extreme violence is part of the deal for NFL players: “Football is a game where you want to impose your will on another man,” Mustipher said.

“And I’m sure you know (Higgins) thought, I’m lowering my shoulder, knocking it forward, finishing a run after a catch. And that happens. You know, I hope his mental is good, he’s doing all right. You know, there is a lot of emotion and passion in this game. Yeah, I can’t imagine what he is feeling right now.”

Chicago Bears' Sam Mustipher said he hopes Higgins is coping mentally

Outside University of Cincinnati Medical Center, Hamlin family spokesman Jordon Rooney called for rallying around people like Higgins, saying: “You know, like he needs support.”

Burrow said Higgins, who wasn’t made available to reporters Wednesday, is handling the situation as best he can.

“Tee’s doing well. He’s pretty shaken up, just like all of us,” Burrow said. “We’ve never seen anything like that, and unfortunate as it is, that’s part of the game and something that you hope never happens, but as we saw on Monday night, can and will happen.

US President Joe Biden says he has spoken to the family of Hamlin “at length.”

Speaking to reporters in Hebron, Kentucky, Biden said Hamlin’s collapse was not a sign that the NFL has become too dangerous, while noting the inherent risk of a sport with violent collisions on nearly every play

“I think working like hell on the helmets and the concussion protocols, that all makes a lot of sense. But…it is dangerous,” he said. “We’ve got to just acknowledge it.”

Upon landing back at the White House, Biden was asked what his message was for Hamlin’s family and he confirmed “I’ve spoken to Hamlin’s mother and father at length.”

Will the postponed match be replayed?

The NFL announced a full postponement to the Bengals-Bills game just after 10pm local time on Monday evening, 90 minutes following kick-off.

After Hamlin exited the field in an ambulance, it looked briefly as if play might resume before Bengals head coach Zac Taylor and Bills counterpart Sean McDermott met with game officials and the decision was made to pause proceedings. The Bengals had been leading 7-3 with five minutes and 58 seconds remaining in the first quarter.

Taylor, when addressing the media for the first time on Wednesday, praised McDermott and the game officials, as well as singling out all of the medical professionals for their response.

“When I got over there [to McDermott] the first thing he said was, ‘I need to be at the hospital with Damar. I shouldn’t be coaching this game,'” Taylor said. “He really showed who he was. All his focus was on Damar.

“All the medical professionals that were involved, the Bills’ trainers, the Bills’ doctors, our trainers, our doctors, the paramedics, the emergency response team, I thought that they were on it, they were composed.

“The officials, Shawn Smith and his crew, I thought they did a tremendous job handling a situation in which there’s no rulebook, there’s no protocols for how to handle that. Everyone that was on the field could feel the seriousness of the situation.”

Taylor added: “Our thoughts and prayers are with Damar Hamlin and his family and his loved ones, and his teammates, the coaches, the entire Bills organisation.”

The NFL informed the Bills and Bengals that the suspended game will not resume this week, with the Week 18 schedule unchanged. During a conference call with reporters on Wednesday, the league said that “talks had begun” on whether the postponed game can be rescheduled at all.

NFL executive vice president of communications, public affairs and policy, Jeff Miller, said the league has not yet made a decision on the status of the game but plans to “in the coming days”, adding that both the Bengals and Bills would be consulted.

NFL EVP of football operations Troy Vincent added on the call that “everything is being considered” regarding the game.

Bengals QB Burrow said of the possibility of finishing the game at a later date: “I think that would be tough, just scheduling-wise.

“I think whatever Buffalo would want to do, would be what we would want to do as well. We’re behind them 100 percent and support them in whatever they would decide to do going forward.”

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

Mike Florio and Peter King react to the cardiac arrest suffered on the field by Damar Hamlin on Monday night, saying a rescheduling of the game between the Bills and Bengals ‘does not matter’ in light of his critical condition in hospital

The game has major playoff implications as the NFL enters the final week of the 2022 regular season, with the Bills (12-3) needing a win to reclaim the No 1 seed in the AFC, in the hope of clinching a first-round bye and home advantage through the playoffs. The Bengals (11-4) would have clinched the AFC North division title ahead of the Baltimore Ravens (10-6) with a victory.

NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported on Wednesday that if the game was not to resume, it would be “declared a no contest”, essentially a tie – which would be enough for the Bengals to win their division and finish as the No 3 seed in the AFC, while the Kansas City Chiefs would then theoretically clinch the No 1 seed ahead of the Bills with a win over the Las Vegas Raiders on Saturday.

Will the Week 18 games still go ahead?

The Bills are scheduled to close out the regular season on Sunday against New England Patriots (8-8), who need to win to secure themselves a wild-card berth in the AFC, while the Bengals are due to take on the Ravens (10-6).

The Bills held a team meeting and a brief on-field walkthrough practice on Wednesday but were not available to the media. The Patriots practiced as scheduled.

The NFL released a statement on Tuesday said that they had “not made any changes to the Week 18 regular season schedule.”

When Hamlin was taken from the field in an ambulance on Monday night, Bills coach McDermott was seen leading his team in prayer, while players from both teams were shown to be visibly distraught, some with tears in their eyes, as the situation unfolded.

Pro Football Talk‘s Mike Florio has questioned whether the Bills will be sufficiently mentally and physically prepared to play again by Sunday, and whether the NFL might reconsider sticking to the current schedule.

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio and Chris Simms discuss the NFL’s options after the postponement of the game between the Bills and Bengals due to the hospitalisation of Bills player Damar Hamlin, who suffered a cardiac arrest on the field.

“Will all of the players be mentally ready to go?” Florio said on Wednesday’s show. “They may tell themselves they are – and maybe once they’re out there, they’ll feel fine – but I think that crossing the thick white stripe on the sideline is going to be different now to what it has ever been, for them and their family members.

“You’ve got every family member of every NFL player, fearful that what happened to Damar Hamlin can happen to their father, husband, friend, nephew, cousin – someone they know and someone they care about.

“It’s part of what everyone has to process to get to the point where guys can play.

“This game is too hard, too demanding, and the risks are too great to have someone play who doesn’t want to.

“There’s no manual to this, no playbook, no standard operating procedure. Will all players be ready to go? That’s the concern I have for players not just on the Bills and Bengals but for players on every team.

Florio added: “This is a very delicate moment in the scheduling of the season, it’s the culmination of the regular season, the playoffs are looming.

“I really don’t know what the right answer is. There is no perfect solution to this.”

When asked if he knows whether his team-mates want to play this weekend, Bengals QB Burrow wasn’t certain.

“I think playing is going to be tough,” he said. “But there’s people that want to play, too, and people that don’t.

“Personally, I probably want to play. I think getting back to as normal as you can, as fast as you can, is how I deal with these kinds of things. But like I said, everybody has a different way of dealing with it.”

The playoffs are due to begin on the weekend of January 14/15/16, with the Super Bowl scheduled for Sunday, February 12 in Glendale, Arizona. There is a free weekend in the calendar prior to the Super Bowl which would allow for the playoff schedule to begin a week later, should the NFL decide to postpone any Week 18 games.

Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson hinted at the challenge he has faced in trying to prepare his team for a ‘win-and-in’ showdown for the AFC South division title with the Tennessee Titans on Saturday night.

“Obviously on Monday night, watching it, coaching went away,” Pederson told the NFL Network on Wednesday. “I was thinking about Damar and his family – about the players on both sides of that field.

“Then my attention turned to our team. How was I going to handle this and prepare our football team, what was I going to say? It’s human nature.

“I can honestly say I don’t have all of the answers, but I want my players to understand that we’re here for them.”

“We are preparing for a football game. It’s the hardest thing, to transition from life – and things that are out of our control – to a football game, and trying to get the focus of the room back on that.”

NFL world gathers to show support for Hamlin

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

Former NFL player Jason McCourty prays for and pays tribute to Damar Hamlin after he was taken to hospital in a ‘critical condition’, having suffered a cardiac arrest in the Bills’ game against the Bengals on Monday night

Hamlin is in his second season in the NFL, after being taken in the sixth round of the 2021 NFL Draft by the Bills. He spent five years playing his college football at Pittsburgh, his hometown, appearing in 48 games for the Panthers.

He has started 14 games for the Bills this season in place of injured safety Micah Hyde, who suffered a neck injury in Week Two and has been on injured reserve since. Hamlin is tied for the second-most tackles on the team this year, with 91.

After the incident, people started donating to a GoFundMe page set up by Hamlin’s charitable foundation, Chasing M’s, to raise money to support a toy drive for in his community.

Hamlin’s initial stated goal was $2,500 but, by Wednesday, the page had reached over $7m (£5.8m), with donations coming in from around the world. NFL stars Tom Brady, Russell Wilson, plus the Houston Texans organisation and Patriots owner Robert Kraft were among those to donate large sums.

Hamlin’s marketing representative and friend, Jordan Rooney, said the generosity and support shown from people “has been incredible” and that his family were “so grateful.”

“It has made a really tough situation just a little bit easier,” Rooney told the NFL Network. “Damar’s family are incredibly supportive themselves, so for them to get support like this, they’re so grateful.

“They’re always giving to others, so for so many people to rally around them, they keep saying how thankful they are.”

NBA star LeBron James sent his best wishes to Hamlin when speaking to reporters after the Los Angeles Lakers’ win over the Charlotte Hornets on Monday night.

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

LeBron James sends thoughts and prayers to Damar Hamlin and his family after the Buffalo Bills player suffered a cardiac arrest during an NFL game

“It is a terrible thing to see and I wish nothing but the best for that kid and the city of Buffalo, for the franchise of the Bills and the rest of the NFL and also the Bengals that were playing in that game as well,” LeBron said.

“I’m a huge fan of the NFL and a huge fan of football and you never want to see anything like that happen.”

A number of NFL teams postponed their scheduled press availability on Tuesday out of respect for Hamlin, while Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin spent part of his news conference sharing his personal connection with the 24-year-old Pittsburgh native.

“I’ve known that guy probably since he was about 12,” Tomlin said. “Just got a lot of respect and love for him as a human being, his commitment to the pursuit of his goals and dreams of doing what it is he’s doing right now, which is playing in the NFL.

“To watch him make personal decisions and make that a realisation, it’s just an honour to get to know young people like that. I had an opportunity to express that to him whenever I see him.

“We’ve played Buffalo each of the last two seasons, and he and I get to have a moment because it’s just cool to not only appreciate these guys in terms of where they are now, but to know them since they were younger people and to watch their maturation their development.

“I’ve got a lot of love for that young man.”

Source link