Buffalo Bills defensive back Damar Hamlin was in critical condition Monday night after collapsing on the field during the Monday Night football showdown with the Bengals.
The game was officially suspended about an hour after the incident and about 30 minutes after Hamlin was taken to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center. Medical center officials did not expect to have an update on Hamlin's condition late Monday night.
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Here's what we know so far about Damar Hamlin and his injury.
What caused Damar Hamlin to collapse?
Information about what caused Hamlin to collapse has not yet been released but it happened after Hamlin tackled Bengals receiver Tee Higgins and Higgins fell on him in the first quarter. After getting up from the tackle, he fell to the field at 8:55 p.m. Medical personnel worked on Hamlin for several minutes. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) was administered, and an automated external defibrillator was required.
Hamlin was removed by ambulance at 9:25 p.m. and taken to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center, where he was in critical condition, the National Football League said in a statement. Hamlin's family came down from the stands to be with him in the ambulance.
Damar Hamlin was taken to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center
While the specifics of Hamlin’s injury are unknown, he was taken to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center, the region’s only adult level 1 trauma center. It’s the second time a Bengals opponent was rushed to UCMC after a football injury at Paycor Stadium this season.
In September, Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa was taken by a stretcher to UCMC after he suffered a concussion during a Thursday Night Football matchup. Tagovailoa was released from the hospital that night.
What's Damar Hamlin's condition?
An NFL statement said Hamlin was in critical condition.
Jordon Rooney, who identified himself as Hamlin's marketing representative, posted an update on Twitter saying Hamlin's "vitals are back to normal and they have put him to sleep to put a breathing tube down his throat."
Hamilton County Coroner Dr. Lakshmi Sammarco responded to Rooney's tweet. "Good news. He’s young and healthy and resilient. Prayers continue."
NFL conference call: No game status update
There was no update on the status of the Bills-Bengals game during an NFL conference call early Tuesday. The league said the Bills will return to Buffalo, with some players choosing to stay in Cincinnati.
NFL executive vice president of communications Jeff Miller said that - as of now - there are no plans to resume the game, but added that a decision will be made at the appropriate time.
"There's nothing in consideration right now. Our concern is for the player and his well-being. At the appropriate time, I'm sure that we'll have a conversation around the next steps regarding the game," Miller said.
NFL executive vice president of football operations Troy Vincent addressed a remark during ESPN's broadcast that suggested players would warm up for five minutes before resuming play: "I'm not sure where that came from. … That's insensitive."
"It never crossed our mind to talk about warming up to resume play," Vincent added. "That's ridiculous. That’s insensitive. That's not a place we should ever be in."
"I thought the coaches led tonight," Vincent said of Bengals head coach Zac Taylor and Bills head coach Sean McDermott. "They led their locker rooms. ... Neither coaches were talking about resuming play."
"I never seen anything like it since I've been playing," Vincent said of Hamlin's injury. "Instantly my player hat came on."
When was the Bengals and Bills game suspended?
The game was temporarily suspended while Hamlin received treatment on the field and was transported. The teams were given 5 minutes to warm up to resume play. Coaches met on the field. The two teams then went into their locker rooms.
"How do you as a member of the Buffalo Bills or the Cincinnati Bengals continue on ... to play this game?" ESPN play-by-play announcer Joe Buck said during the broadcast.
"They won't be willing to go back onto the field until they know he's OK," color analyst Troy Aikman added. "I just don't know how any of these players can come out and play football tonight."
Reactions:Bills-Bengals suspended after Damar Hamlin collapsed on field
About an hour later, the league suspended play for the rest of the night. A new date and time for the game was not decided.
The Buffalo Bills were leaving following the suspension of the game
The Bills planned to return to Buffalo on Monday night, Enquirer news partner Fox19 reported. ESPN reported Bills wide receiver Stefon Diggs went to the hospital to be with his teammate.
Who is Damar Hamlin?
Hamlin is a second-year player who came to the Bills as a sixth-round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft out of Pittsburgh.
This season, he became the starter at free safety after Micah Hyde suffered a season-ending neck injury in Week 2. Hamlin has been learning on the job but was playing well given the difficult circumstances.
As a young man, he saw the worst things in life as he lost three of his close friends to bullets, senseless deaths that the police never solved. And in his own home, his father, Mario – trying to make ends meet for his wife Nina and Damar – turned to selling drugs.
Hamlin rose above it all in high school, enjoyed a tremendous football career and earned a scholarship to Pitt, his hometown team.
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His progression to the NFL was a true feel-good story given his early life circumstances.
“Some of the stories you hear from these guys, you’re like, ‘Man, that’s tough; what a tough hand this player, this person has been dealt,’” Bills general manager Brandon Beane said last year. “But what an accomplishment for Damar to avoid things. He knows people that have died or whatever but at the end of the day he’s about football, he’s a good person, and he’s going to be a good pro.”
When he first entered the NFL, Hamlin knew that he wanted to start his own foundation as a way to give back to his community, and he formed the Chasing M’s Foundation.
A GoFundMe fundraiser for the organization Hamlin started two years ago was getting renewed attention Monday night, with donations nearing $1 million.
The Enquirer will update this story.
The Democrat & Chronicle contributed reporting.
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