CINCINNATI –
Safe Invoice Damar Hamlin has passed the critical after he collapsed on the field Monday night, the NFL said, and Buffalo’s game against the Cincinnati Bengals was halted.
Hamlin was given CPR on the field, ESPN reported, and he was surrounded by teammates, some of whom were in tears, after he was injured while handling the recipient Tee. Higgins of the Bengals.
Higgins took the lead with his right shoulder, hitting Hamlin in the chest. Hamlin then put his arm around Higgins’ shoulder and helmet to pull him down. Hamlin stood up, seemingly adjusting the mask with his right hand, then fell back after about three seconds and lay motionless.
Hamlin was treated on the field by independent paramedics and local paramedics, the NFL said, and he was taken by ambulance to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center. Teammate Stefon Diggs later accompanied Hamlin to the hospital.
About 100 Bills fans and some Bengals fans gathered in a corner a block from the emergency room entrance with some of them holding candles.
The NFL announced more than an hour after the injury that the game would not resume.
“Our thoughts are with Damar and the Buffalo Bills. We will provide more information as it becomes available,” the league said in a statement. “The NFL was in regular contact with the NFL Players Association, which agreed to the postponement of the game.”
An ambulance was on the field 4 minutes after Hamlin collapsed, many players were in tears, including full-back Tre’Davious White. The quarterbacks – Buffalo’s Josh Allen and Cincinnati’s Joe Burrow – embraced.
“Please pray for us brothers,” Allen tweeted.
Hamlin collapsed at 8:55 p.m., and when he was taken off the field about 19 minutes later, the Bills gathered in prayer. Minutes after the ambulance left the field, the game was halted and the players slowly left the pitch into their dressing rooms.
Hamlin’s uniform was cut off and it appeared he was being resuscitated by paramedics. ESPN reported on its TV show that Hamlin was also given oxygen.
“Nobody has ever been through this,” Pro Football Hall of Fame midfielder Troy Aikman told ESPN. “I’ve never seen anything like it either.”
Team Bengal took a 7-3 lead in the first half of a match between the top playoff seeding teams in the AFC. Cincinnati entered the game 11–4 and led the AFC North by one game against Baltimore, while AFC champions East Buffalo led 12–3.
“The NFLPA and everyone in our community are praying for Damar Hamlin,” the players’ union said in a statement. “We have been in touch with Bills and Bengals players, as well as with the NFL. The only thing that matters at the moment is Damar’s health and happiness.”
It is unknown when or if the game will resume as the NFL enters the final week of the regular season. The result is significant in the playoffs with the knockout round slated to begin on January 14.
The aftermath of the injury was reminiscent of when the Bills ended tight Kevin Everett lay motionless on the field after making a tackle in the second half opening game of Buffalo’s 2007 season opener against the Denver Broncos.
Everett suffered a spinal cord injury that initially left him partially paralyzed.
24-year-old Hamlin spent five years in college in Pittsburgh – his hometown – and appeared in 48 games for the Panthers in that span. He was a second team All-ACC performer as a senior, was named team captain, and selected to play in the Senior Bowl.
He was included in the sixth round by the Bills in 2021, played 14 games as a rookie and then became the main catcher this year after Micah Hyde missed the season due to injury.
By Monday night, a community toy fundraiser organized by Hamlin had grown to more than $900,000 in donations. His stated goal is $2,500.
Entering the game, the 6-foot-tall, 200-pound Hamlin made 91 tackles, including 63 solos and 1 1/2 tackles.
A tweet from the Pitt football account is simple and clear: “Damar Hamlin is the best of us. We love you, 3,” the tweet said, referring to Hamlin by his college shirt number. “Pray for you.”
