With tears beginning to well, Tennessee Titans linebacker Rashad Weaver shook his head and lowered it to his knees, his body swaying as he tried to express what it was like watching friend and former college teammate Damar Hamlin having to be resuscitated back to life on the football field.
“I don’t know, man,” Weaver said Tuesday after sobbing uncontrollably at his locker. “I missed exactly what happened but like five seconds later, seeing the first replay of it, just kind of like everybody else sitting there and holding your breath and figure out what happened.”
Weaver’s reaction was that of most everyone watching from home and on the field in Cincinnati on Monday night, when Hamlin, the Buffalo Bills safety, collapsed while going into cardiac arrest after making what appeared to be a routine tackle.
As the second-year Bills player lay sedated in a hospital bed with his family by his side at UC Medical Center, where he remained in critical condition, Hamlin’s competitive and giving spirit was not lost on those who know him.
“All I can say is he’s fighting. He’s a fighter,” Jordon Rooney, Hamlin’s marketing representative, told ABC’s “Good Morning America.” “The family is in good spirits. We’re obviously just taking it minute by minute, hour by hour.”
WATCH l Sight of Hamlin collapsing renews questions about game’s safety:
On-field collapse of NFL player leaves fans, athletes shaken
NFL player Damar Hamlin remains in critical condition after suffering cardiac arrest during a game Monday night. The sight of him collapsing on the field, and being rushed away in an ambulance, has shaken many and is renewing questions about the game’s safety.
Hamlin had heart re-started twice, says family member
Dorrian Glenn, Hamlin’s uncle, told CNN in an televised interview outside the hospital Tuesday that Hamlin needed to have his heart re-started twice — once on the field, and again after he arrived at the hospital. Glenn also provided those details to other outlets, including ESPN and NFL Network.
“They were resuscitating him on the field before they brought him in the hospital and then resuscitated him a second time when he got to the hospital,” Glenn told CNN. “I just want to show my gratitude for the medical staff that were on hand because if not for them, my nephew probably wouldn’t even be here.”
Glenn said he was watching the game with some relatives in Pittsburgh. He arrived in Cincinnati early Tuesday; the cities are about 300 miles apart.
“I never cried so hard in my life,” Glenn said. “Just to know, like, my nephew basically died on the field and they brought him back to life. I mean, it’s just heartbreaking.”
Glenn said there were some encouraging signs, such as doctors lowering the level of oxygen Hamlin needs from 100% to 50%.
“He’s still sedated right now,” Glenn told CNN. “They just want him to have a better chance of recovering better. So, they feel that if he’s sedated, his body can heal a lot faster than if he was woke and possibly cause other complications.”
The chilling scene, which played out in front of a North American television audience on ESPN’s “Monday Night Football,” has put the NFL on hold, with the game suspended. That sparked an outpouring of support in placing Hamlin’s life ahead of sports, and pushed to the forefront the generous person he is.
“He has his own clothing brand called Chasing M’s, which is about chasing your dreams and chasing millions,” said Weaver, who spent four years playing alongside Hamlin at the University of Pittsburgh. “And that’s everybody’s goal in life, reaching your dreams.”
WATCH | Cardiologist explains what may have triggered Hamlin’s cardiac arrest:
What could have caused Bills’ Damar Hamlin’s cardiac arrest?
A sudden blow to Buffalo Bills defensive back Damar Hamlin’s chest in Monday night’s NFL game against the Cincinnati Bengals appears to have sent Hamlin into cardiac arrest, explains cardiologist Dr. Christopher Labos.
Players and fans from across the NFL rallied to Hamlin’s support, with vigils held in Cincinnati and outside the Bills’ home stadium. The shock of what happened also reverberated in Pittsburgh, where the 24-year-old Hamlin grew up and was determined to give back to those in need.
“Damar is a hero to thousands of Pittsburgh kids,” Pitt football coach Pat Narduzzi said in a statement. “Damar, we love you. We are praying for you. Pittsburgh’s always had your back. And now it’s obvious the entire country has your back, too.”
Hamlin’s family expressed gratitude for the support, while asking everyone to keep the player in their prayers.
“We are deeply moved by the prayers, kind words and donations from fans around the country,” Hamlin’s family wrote in a message posted by Rooney on his Twitter account. “Your generosity and compassion has meant the world to us.”
People gesture during a prayer service for Buffalo Bills’ Damar Hamlin at Crossroads Uptown Church on Tuesday in Cincinnati. (Darron Cummings/The Associated Press)
The Bills said Hamlin spent the night in intensive care after his heart stopped when tackling receiver Tee Higgins in the opening quarter against the Bengals. Medical staff restored his heartbeat during frantic moments on the field before he was loaded into an ambulance, where he was joined by his mother, with teary-eyed players and coaches on both teams watching helplessly.
“First and foremost, the Bengals continue to send thoughts and prayers to Damar Hamlin and his family. Our hearts are with everyone in this unprecedented time — what we can do is support one another,” Bengals president Mike Brown said in a statement.
In Buffalo, the Bills changed their social media avatar to that of Hamlin’s No. 3 jersey with the words “Pray For Damar.” The other 31 teams and the NFL quickly followed suit.
#NewProfilePic pic.twitter.com/jQdQUD4RjY
—@BuffaloBills
While some Bills players stayed in Cincinnati to be with their teammate, the rest returned home early Tuesday, when they were greeted by a handful of fans watching silently from the side of the road outside Buffalo Niagara International Airport.
The Bills took the day off and were unsure when they might resume practicing, putting Hamlin above everything else, including their quest to clinch the AFC’s top seed.
The NFL’s schedule is now in flux after the game between Buffalo (12-3) and Cincinnati (11-4) — a showdown with AFC playoff race implications — was postponed indefinitely.
Status of postponed game unclear
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell informed both teams that their game would not resume this week. No decision has been made on whether it will be played at a later date, with the league not making any changes to its Week 18 schedule, a week before the playoffs are set to begin.
Numerous NFL teams cancelled their media availabilities, including the New England Patriots, who are scheduled to travel to Buffalo for the teams’ season finales on Sunday.
“Please pray for our brother,” quarterback Josh Allen posted in a tweet.
Added offensive lineman Rodger Saffold: “He is more than an athlete. He is a son and brother. And I pray God gives him mercy and brings him back to us.”
Hamlin is from McKees Rocks, a hard-scrabble exurb of Pittsburgh, and was selected by Buffalo in the sixth-round of the 2021 draft. He spent his rookie season limited to special teams roles, and took over the starting job in Week 3 in place of veteran Micah Hyde, who remains sidelined by a neck injury.
Overnight, Hamlin went from being a relatively unknown backup to receiving an international outpouring of support.
His Chasing M’s Foundation eclipsed its modest goal of raising $2,500 US, topping more than $4 million by Tuesday afternoon.
Our thoughts and prayers are with Damar Hamlin and his family. pic.twitter.com/eKkc5GfkPz
—@stephenasmith
Bills and Bengals fans gathered at the hospital immediately following the postponement of the game, with many returning on Tuesday.
Elena Weiler, 33, from Amelia, Ohio, and Billy Jeffers held a sign that said “Pray for Hamlin 3” with candles in front.
“It don’t matter if you’re a Bengals fan or a Bills fan, we’re here to show our support,” said Jeffers, who was wearing a Bengals sweatshirt.
A few dozen Bills and Bengals fans convened outside the hospital Tuesday night for a prayer vigil. Brandon Becker of Buffalo, who attended the game and the vigil, said he was touched to see fans of both teams hugging each other.
The Bills now face perhaps their most difficult hurdle in a calendar year filled with on- and off-field adversity. The team has seen its schedule disrupted twice by major snowstorms in the past month, including a blizzard that led to at least 40 deaths in the region over Christmas. The Bills also rallied to support the community in the aftermath of a racist shooting rampage that left 10 dead at a Buffalo supermarket in May.
On Tuesday, it was the region’s turn to rally for the team on both sides of the New York-Ontario border.
The Ontario-based Niagara Parks commission announced it will illuminate Niagara Falls in blue in honour of Hamlin.
“Our collective thoughts are with him, his family, his team and the City of Buffalo,” the commission wrote.
Niagara Falls will be illuminated in Blue tonight at 9 pm in support of Damar Hamlin, the Buffalo Bills and the City of Buffalo. Our collective thoughts are with him, his family, his team and the City of Buffalo.@BuffaloBills @HamlinIsland pic.twitter.com/l4ApqcxuvJ
—@NiagaraParks
Scrutiny over time taken to postpone game
The time it took the NFL to postpone the game after Hamlin collapsed came under renewed focus on Tuesday.
During the first quarter of Monday’s game, the 24-year-old Hamlin got to his feet after making a tackle on Cincinnati Bengals’ Tee Higgins and then collapsed.
Hamlin left the stadium by ambulance at 9:25 pm ET and was transported to a Cincinnati hospital where he was listed in critical condition.
The game was officially postponed by the NFL at 10:01 pm, but fans and former players had reacted angrily online after a broadcast had earlier said the teams would get a five-minute warm-up to prepare to play again.
“What’s taking so long,” retired twice Super Bowl champion Damien Woody said on Twitter at 9:44 pm. “Cancel the game!!”
“Cancel the game already,” former first-round quarterback Robert Griffin III wrote using only capital letters five minutes later.
League says it didn’t try to restart game
The NFL said that there was never any discussion of resuming play and that it did not know where the broadcast had got the information regarding the warm-up.
“Frankly there was no time period for the players to get warmed up,” NFL Executive Vice President, Football Operations, Troy Vincent, told reporters.
“It never crossed our mind to talk about warming up to resume play. That’s ridiculous, that’s insensitive and that’s not a place we should ever be in.”
The National Football League Players Association did not immediately respond to a request for comment but said in a statement that its focus “remains on the health of our brother, Damar Hamlin.”
WATCH l Chris Pronger talks about heart injury in 1998 while playing for St. Louis Blues:
Former NHLer Chris Pronger suffered injury similar to what happened to NFL’s Damar Hamlin
Chris Pronger talks about having the heart injury commotio cordis after getting hit in the chest by a puck during the Stanley Cup playoffs in 1998 while playing for the St. Louis Blues, at age 23.
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