The Moment of Damar Hamlin: How do we get out there and play the game? An NFL wide receiver’s doctor’s note on his collapse with the Buffalo Bills
A childhood friend of Hamlin said there is “no doubt in my mind” that Hamlin will make a successful recovery from his cardiac arrest.
Many of the teammates fell to their knees after the medical personnel rushed onto the field to revive Hamlin, while many were openly weeping and embracing one another.
The Bills-Bengals game was postponed after Hamlin’s collapse with the Bengals leading 7-3. The incomplete game will not be continued this week, as the league has yet to announce a strategy for handling it.
“I’ve never seen anything like it since I’ve been playing,”Vincent said. “So immediately, my player hat went on. How do you resume play after you’ve seen such a traumatic event occur in front of you in real time?”
The Bills wide receiver arrived at the University of Cincinnati Hospital, where Hamlin was taken, late Monday night, according to the broadcast.
Hamlin recorded 275 tackles in 46 games at Pittsburgh, recording 10 tackles for losses, six picks, 21 passes defended and one fumbled ball. Following the 2020 season, he earned All-ACC second-team honors.
According to his Pittsburgh Panthers player bio, he was redshirted – meaning he sat out on games while remaining on the team – in 2016 due to injury. The site said that he missed time due to injuries.
The union has been in contact with the Bills and Cincinnati players. At the moment it’s all about Damar’s health and well being.
“It’s definitely the right call,” he said after the Lakers game against the Charlotte Hornets Monday night, adding, “The safety of players in all sports is always the most important. It was a terrible thing to see.”
“The fact that we did not have to go back out there on that field and play just shows that there is care, and that’s all we can ever ask for is that we get treated as people,” he said. Most people treat us like superstars and celebrities, but in the moment we were treated as real people.
Well wishes and prayers were sent by several star athletes, including Denver Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson, Chicago Bears quarterback Justin Fields, Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson, and free agent Odell Beckham Jr.
Football fans of both teams were gathered at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center early Tuesday morning to hold a memorial for Hamlin.
UC hospital spokeswoman Amanda Nageleisen told NPR there was no information on Hamlin or the care he’s receiving. It’s not known when hospital officials will brief the media.
The Family of Damar Hamlin on GoFundMe: A Big Help to Damar and the New York City Football Program,” Mayor Eric Adams said
As of 8 a.m. on Tuesday, the fundraiser topped over $3.3 million in donations, 135,000% more than its goal. Thousands of fans across NFL teams shared words of support on the page, which GoFundMe verified on Twitter.
The family of Hamlin released a statement thanking first responders, medical professionals, both football teams and fans for their support.
“I’m asking all New Yorkers to join me in praying for Damar Hamlin, his family, his teammates, and our brothers and sisters in Buffalo,” New York City Mayor Eric Adams said.
Prior to that, he won a Pennsylvania state championship while at Pittsburgh Central Catholic high school in 2015, leading the team to a 15-1 record as one of the best-rated defenders in the state.
“As I embark on my journey to the NFL, I will never forget where I come from and I am committed to using my platform to positively impact the community that raised me,” Hamlin wrote on the foundation’s GoFundMe page.
If there is anyone I have confidence in making it out of, it is him. Rooney said that he was someone who always figured out a way to come out on top.
“I actually know Damar because him being a division one football player, reached out to me to be an intern for me.” Rooney talked to Robin Roberts on Good Morning America.
“Which is something that’s pretty unique and the reason why is cause he’s always interested in being an entrepreneur and wanted to build his own brand.
“He interned for me and then we just became super, super close so now, you know, we’re partners in a business together. We collaborate on many things and we are very good friends.
Keeping Pittsburgh for the past 24 years: Jimmy Hamlin remembers how his father, Mario and Nina, helped him get back on track
“(It’s) something I’ve always been into, just giving back,” he told CNN affiliate WKBW in December, adding: “For three years I’ve been doing the toy drive so just being able to extend it to Buffalo now is just something I love doing.”
In a 2021 interview with the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle, Hamlin credited his parents, Mario and Nina Hamlin, for keeping him on a straight path as a kid in McKees Rocks, which the paper said had drug and gang problems that produced one of the highest crime rates in the US.
Hamlin told the paper that his parents were always with him when he needed to get back on track, no matter if he steered right or left.
Hamlin’s mother, who was at the game, was able to send her son to a private high school because of Hamlin’s family cleaning business.
Hamlin’s fans poured millions of dollars into the charity that he started in 2020 just before he was selected in the sixth round of the football draft.
When Bills Quarterback Josh Allen lost his grandmother, they donated $1.1 million to build a new wing at a local hospital. After Lamar Jackson was removed from a playoff game for a concussion, they raised tens ofthousands of dollars for his favorite charity.
The 24 year-old’s collapse in the first quarter left onlookers distraught and brought a rare early halt to the game.
Athletes from football and other sports have flooded social media with prayers. He was a football player at the University of Pittsburgh, his alma mater, for five years before going into the football business.
“I was just so Pittsburgh. He stated that everything was Pittsburgh for him. “I wanted to give my city something to be proud of and I wanted to give them another reason to smile.”
How he and his family were hurting in the post-Newtonian collapse aftermath of the 2009 NFL draft pick, Jordan Hamlin
He has played in all 15 games so far, tallying 91 tackles (tied for second-most on the Bills), six tackles for loss, two pass breakups and 1.5 sacks this season.
Hamlin spoke about Jackson’s injury in an appearance on One Bills Live earlier this season, but his video has since surfaced on social media.
“I don’t even know what to say, but I think I enjoy it every second that I can,” Hamlin said. “Every second of the day.” Every Wednesday, we do our prayer, and we just had our prayer. You never know when your last day is going to be like this, which is why I grabbed his hand a little bit harder. I’m taking the time to savor every moment I can.
He said his life revolves around his mom, dad and little brother. I don’t do much without my parents’ approval. Either I accept or I don’t. sometimes I just want to hear it.”
Hamlin told the Globe that he wanted to stay in Pittsburgh for college so he could be a role model for his brother, who was 2 years old at the time.
Pittsburgh sports journalist Amanda Godsey tweeted Monday night that her mind went straight to Hamlin’s family after seeing him collapse, recalling that he seemed close to his parents and had his brother on his lap during a media session several years ago.
One NFL-affiliated account in the aftermath of the Hamlin concussion said we need to not watch the replay. That it’s too graphic; too disturbing; too disrespectful.
For more than 9 minutes, medical staff fought to help Hamlin, ESPN sideline reporter Lisa Salters noted. Buck confirmed that health workers had been performing CPR on Hamlin throughout the commercial breaks.
“There’s just nothing to say right now,” Buck said at one point, as the cameras showed Bills coach Sean McDermott and players Josh Allen and Stefon Diggs, their faces wracked with emotion and concern.
The Bengals Need to Turn On The Football Ball Game. A Player’s Friend, Not Me, Is Going To Kick You, But You Need To Turn It On
The time is 9PM. An ambulance was seen backing rapidly across the field toward Hamlin at Cincinnati’s Paycor Stadium, in a video posted by local sports reporter Joe Danneman of local TV station FOX 19.
The entire Bills are on the field right now. Several players are on the floor, some of them are holding hands. You can just see the worried looks on their faces.”
Cincinnati quarterback Joe Burrow and other Bengals also gathered near midfield. After minutes of hushed quiet in the stadium, brief applause broke out when Hamlin was seen on a stretcher.
Last night, shortly after Hamlin’s injury, a 53-year-old man was sitting inside his San Antonio, Texas home when he received a text from his mother. YOU NEED TO TURN ON THE FOOTBALL GAME. A PLAYER COLLAPSED.
“I don’t know how anyone would continue playing this game,” said Paul Dehner Jr., who is based in Cincinnati. “That was a horrible scene.”
9:14 p.m. — “Players are coming back on the field and it looks like the game will continue,” ESPN’s Ben Baby reported. Burrow was seen throwing warmup passes, with his helmet back on.
“They’ve been given 5 minutes to, quote unquote, get ready to go back to playing,” Buck said of the situation. “That’s the word we get from the league and the word that we get from the field, but nobody’s moving.”
Just before the decision was made in the stadium, Buck said that he thought Sean McDermott was going to pull his team off the field. The teams need to “regroup themselves” according to the officials who told Buck on-air.
9:29 p.m. — “Zac Taylor just walked to the Bills locker room area and is waiting outside,” Danneman reported, adding that Taylor and McDermott then jointly met with referees.
Tom Hamlin’s Heart During the Game: The NFL’s Football Executive Vice President Troy Vincent Explains the Game and Itss His Uncle Dorrian Glenn
When the game was delayed, the local TV station, called WCPO, noted that the five-minute warm-up is standard protocol after most delays.
The station said that before the game was stopped, the players left the locker room to join the Bills at the visitors’ facility.
12:17 a.m. Tuesday — The NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo reported that in a conference call with reporters after the game, Troy Vincent, NFL executive vice president of football operations, said that despite earlier reports, the league never sought to resume the game.
“There was no time period for the players to get warmed up,” Vincent said, according to Garafolo. We didn’t think about warming up to resume play. That’s ridiculous. That’s not right. That is not a place that we should be in.
Early Wednesday morning, his uncle, Dorrian Glenn, told reporters in several televised interviews that doctors restarted Hamlin’s heart for a second time when he got to the hospital.
Glenn told CNN that he’s happy that he’s still alive. “I just want to show my gratitude to the medical staff that were on hand. If it were not for them, my nephew probably wouldn’t even be here.”
Why did Hamlin and Dawkins Collapse in Buffalo, N.C., last November? “Are we here to help” Wolf Blitzer
When Hamlin continued to stay on the ground, Dion Dawkins realized the severity of his teammate’s condition.
In that moment, you have to think of what you can do. What can we do?’ Dawkins told Wolf Blitzer that it breaks you into prayer. A higher power can really take control of what is next if you are a believer. Our people assisted the higher power.
Hamlins collapse is the latest in a string of terrible events which have hit the Buffalo community, including a racist shooting and a historic storm that left at least 41 people dead. Dawkins said it has been an ongoing beating for Buffalo.
The doctor address the possibility that the cardiac arrest could have been caused by commotio cordis, which happens when severe trauma to the chest causes the heart’s electrical charge to be disrupted.
When the heart is not beating fast enough, fluid can get into the lungs and make it difficult for medical staff to oxygenate the patient. So, they will flip the person on their stomach into a prone position to make breathing easier.
“So you want to improve the amount of circulation, but in the interim, you can also decrease the demand by sedating somebody, by keeping them on a breathing machine,” he said. Cool agents, also called Hypothermia, are sometimes used to get the body in a more comfortable state. so it’s not demanding as much oxygenated blood. That is a part of the reason he would be on a breathing machine.
The NFL Football Legends Legacy: Damar Hamlin and the Legacy of a Game That Never Came To an End, or is It Still Just Happening?
“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,” the statement said.
The league had a decision to make years ago, said Donté Stallworth, who played for the nflnr. He said the game would probably have resumed ten years ago.
Namely, is this all OK? Hamlin suffered a cardiac arrest after he was hit, but there is still no clear picture of what happened. For those who love and watch the game to avoid moral questions, his story and Hughes’ still make it impossible. Is a game that results in so much pain and suffering a reasonable pursuit in an enlightened society? Should we talk more about the 2017 Boston University study that found Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) in 99% of brains obtained from NFL players, as well as 91% of college football players? Can we ask if grown men are wise? Can we debate whether youth tackle leagues are life-affirming, or insane?
The continued shock of Hamlin’s hospitalization – on top of the city’s mass shooting in May, deadly December blizzard, having a home game in November moved to Detroit and getting stuck in Chicago during the holidays – has been heavy on everyone associated with the club, the source said.
Detroit Free Press image of a Detroit Lions quarterback: Chuck Hughes, the Last Folk Hero: The life and myth of Bo Jackiw
Editor’s Note: Jeff Pearlman is the author of 10 books including his latest, “The Last Folk Hero: The Life and Myth of Bo Jackson.” The views are of his own. Read more opinion on CNN.
It exists, in the archives of the Detroit Free Press, a harrowing black-and-white image that found itself atop page 1D of the Oct. 25, 1971 morning newspaper.
That’s not an exaggeration—literally within 10 minutes of Hughes’ lifeless body being loaded onto a gurney, Lions quarterback Greg Landry completed a 12-yard pass to Charlie Sanders. The members of the two teams were horrified, but had little to say. There were a lot of fans in the stadium. There was a division title to fight for. To be able to cash your paychecks, you have to.
Wrote George Puscas, the Free Press’ executive sports editor: “From the moment Dick Butkus, the huge Chicago Bears linebacker, began waving frantically at the Lions’ bench, it was obvious that Chuck Hughes was in serious trouble.”
Source: https://www.cnn.com/2023/01/03/opinions/damar-hamlin-chuck-hughes-nfl-reality-pearlman/index.html
POW! and POP! When Brandon Hughes was killed on the field, Hamlin, his wife, Sharon, and a friend of his father
The National Football League is the land of soda. There are potato chips. It’s the land of $169 embroidered jerseys and $59 hats (both available now at NFL.com! Free shipping if you order ASAP!). It’s the land of gambling apps and fantasy leagues; of shiny helmets and colorful uniforms and scantily clad cheerleaders and adults dressed as foamy barnyard animals. The NFL is an organization that has the power to bring your aggressions to life every Sunday afternoon. It’s a big deal! And POW! and POP!
When, in 1971, Hughes was removed from the field, league officials knew he was dead (“We reached him and there was no pulse,” said Dr. Richard A. Thompson, an osteopath on the scene), then took all of 10 minutes to decide the action must continue.
Some of the fans who agree with this are trying to show respect, but coming from NFL-associated voices, it started to sound too much like unofficial/official dogma: Drink your Pepsi. Tostitos are great to eat. Put on your foam finger. Don’t worry about the carnage.
When Brandon Hughes’ dad died on the surface of Tiger Stadium, he only cared for himself, but as soon as he heard about the death of Hamlin, he felt a lot worse for him. Brandon, an employee of a mutual fund company, said the things they were saying was familiar to him. “But they kept talking about how this is unprecedented, how that is unprecedented. I thought, ‘No, no It is not. Not at all.
Sharon was the mother of Brandon Hughes when he was a child, but she was widowed at 24. She sounded saddened—both by the uncertainty of Hamlin’s future and the familiar echoes of past tragedy.
Glenn Collapsed on the Field: He and his Neighbor, Hamlin, Suggest a Way to Rejoin
Glenn traveled 300 miles to be with a second-year football player and his family. His nephew collapsed on-field as he watched the game at home in Pittsburgh.
Hamlin lay unconscious at the Cincinnati hospital after collapsing on the field early in the game.
The pair, who became close friends while teammates at their Pittsburgh high school, spoke daily and had talked earlier Monday before Hamlin’s collapse. “It calmed me way down,” Thomas said of seeing his friend. It made the journey to home a lot easier. I could go home and know he’s gonna be straight. I got him. We all got him. Everybody’s behind him.”
Source: https://www.cnn.com/2023/01/05/sport/damar-hamlin-collapse-bills-status-thursday/index.html
The Whalers: The NHL’s Biggest Night at the Collider. Day 3 of Tage Thompson’s Game with the Buffalo Bills
The game attracted more viewers than any other late season contest on sports TV, with 21.2 million people watching on ESPN. After Hamlin collapse, the vehical reached a record 23.9 million, making it the most watched night in sports history.
“You have to have the right type of blow hitting at the right spot on the chest with the right amount of force at just the right time in that cardiac cycle. It is possible, but investigators will consider all options for that to happen.
Hamlin collapsed at a “60 minute meeting” that was held between medical teams and NFL officials before every game. During a meeting, teams will identify the location of medical equipment and nearby medical centers, and establish a chain of command in case of an emergency, among other things.
The high-ranking official in the Bills organization broke down in tears after a long day and night of meetings, according to CNN’s Coy Wire.
The Buffalo organization has been damaged by several difficult blows and has tried to be a positive force for the city, a source told Wire.
The source said that Tage Thompson’s performance on Tuesday night was aglimer of hope at a time when the team needs inspiration.
Hamlin wore his jersey number 3 in the game on January 3. Thompson’s three goals during overtime brought the Sabres a win. It was Thompson’s third hat trick of the season and his third goal came fortuitously in the third minute of overtime.