Hamlin made a tackle on wide receiver Tee Higgins and took a blow to the chest in the process. He stood up after the play and immediately fell backward to the ground. A defibrillator was used and chest compressions were administered for several minutes, and eventually Hamlin was hooked up to an IV and oxygen, placed on a backboard and transported to the hospital via ambulance.
“Hamlin received immediate medical attention on the field by team and independent medical staff and local paramedics,” the NFL said in a statement. “He was then transported to a local hospital where he is in critcal condition.
“Our thoughts are with Damar and the Buffalo Bills.”
Hamlin was down and being tended to by emergency personnel for 19 minutes before the game was suspended. Players from both teams gathered around in concern, and Buffalo players and coaches circled in prayer as the ambulance drove off.
Initially it seemed players were warming up to resume the game, but Bengals coach Zac Taylor crossed the field to address Bills coach Sean McDermott, and after meeting briefly with officials, the game was temporarily suspended and teams went back to their locker rooms. Almost 35 minutes later, it was officially postponed — more than an hour after Hamlin’s collapse.
NFL Executive Vice President of Football Operations Troy Vincent said there was never any expectation the game would resume Monday but that decision was led by the coaches after taking a pulse of their locker rooms. According to Vincent, the players were never told they had five minutes to warm up before play would resume, as had been reported on the ESPN broadcast.
“That’s ridiculous,” Vincent said. “That’s insensitive, and that’s not a place we should ever be in.”
He added, “We were just really trying to make sure that we were doing right by Damar, the players and their coach. ... How do you resume play after you’ve seen such a traumatic event occur in front of you real time? That’s the way we were thinking about it.”
When the game, which the Bengals led 7-3, will resume, if at all, is unclear. The Bills’ buses left Paycor Stadium shortly after midnight. NFL officials on a conference call with media said the team was returning to Buffalo with the exception of those who decided to stay in Cincinnati with Hamlin.
“That’s not in consideration right now,” NFL executive VP of communications, public affairs and policy Jeff Miller said. “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.”
The 24-year-old Hamlin played college football at Pittsburgh — his hometown — and appeared in 48 games for the Panthers over that span. He was a second-team All-ACC performer as a senior, was voted a team captain and was picked to play in the Senior Bowl.
He was drafted in the sixth round by the Bills in 2021, played in 14 games as a rookie and then became a starter this year once Micah Hyde was lost for the season to injury.
Bengals wide receiver Tyler Boyd, who also is a former Pitt player, re-posted an old photo with Hamlin on Instagram on Monday night with a new caption “Prayers for my brother.” Several other Bengals players also shared on social media they were praying for Hamlin, and fans were showing up at UC Medical Center for a candlelight vigil.
Bills wide receiver Stefon Diggs was seen on ESPN arriving at the hospital. Taylor also was seen at the hospital. Reporters at UC Medical Center were told there would be no updates on Hamlin’s condition Monday night.
Neither team held press conferences at the stadium either.
Hamlin’s “The Chasing M’s Foundation” community toy drive on GoFundMe.com gained traction Monday night as word of his charity spread and fans began donating as a show of support for the player. The fund was up above $1,100,000 shortly before midnight, gaining $100,000 in one two-minute span.
(The Associated Press contributed.)
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