NFL football is one of the most popular sports and one of the biggest means of entertainment in the world, which is why it’s often easy to forget that underneath the pads and helmets, there are people. We were reminded of that reality when the Buffalo Bills played the Cincinnati Bengals on Monday Night Football. What started as a regular game was abruptly stopped when safety Damon Hamlin suffered cardiac arrest and collapsed following a routine hit.
Hamlin lay on the field for 19 minutes before he was transported to a near hospital. Not knowing what they were witnessing, players from both teams, analysts, and fans hoped for the best but expected the worst.
Although there were talks about potentially resuming the game, the NFL took the unprecedented decision to suspend the game. Keep in mind that there have been serious injuries throughout league history but never had a game been put off because a player went down. As of this writing, it doesn’t seem like the game will be played and that’s the right approach.
How can you ask Hamlin’s teammates, who saw him fight for his life, to shrug the incident off and go about life as if nothing had happened? Eventually, the NFL will need to decide how to proceed but that shouldn’t be the main concern when a young man is in critical condition.
On the bright side, Hamlin seems to be doing much better. Jordan Rooney, his marketing rep and a close friend of his, has been constantly sharing updates regarding Hamlin’s condition and thanked everyone for their support on behalf of Hamlin’s family. Later, Josh Reed of News 4 Buffalo reported Tuesday evening that Hamlin was originally on 100 percent oxygen but was now down to 50 percent. To put it in layman’s terms, he’s getting better.
Just spoke with Damar Hamlin’s uncle. Damar was originally on 100% oxygen and is now down to 50%. Says the family is hanging in there. He thanked Bills fans, and Bengals fans and asked for continued prayers
— Josh Reed (@4JoshReed) January 3, 2023
NFL teams and fans show overwhelming support for Damar Hamlin
While it’s never good news to see a player collapse, Damar Hamlin’s injury is showing that we’re capable of doing great things. The 24-year safety set a fundraiser to raise money for a toy drive. The original goal was $2,500 but by the time you’re reading this, it has probably surpassed the $6 million mark. Also, NFL teams have changed their avatars on social as a display of support, “Pray for Hamlin”
For Damar. 💙 pic.twitter.com/p5gy3DBvOE
— Miami Dolphins (@MiamiDolphins) January 3, 2023
During the 24 hours following Hamlin’s cardiac arrest, outlets such as NFL Media, Pro Football Talk, Bleacher Report, and Pro Football Focus were mostly quiet and most of their content was devoted to updates regarding Hamlin’s health.
Moreover, several NFL clubs cancel media availabilities and the ones that were held were mostly centered around Hamlin. The Pro Football Hall of Fame followed suit and moved the announcement of their list of 2023 finalists from Tuesday to Wednesday out of respect for Hamlin.
On the other hand, this situation also reminded everyone that there will be those that will try to look for personal gain and will try to benefit from the situation. A talking head, whose name is not worth mentioning, wondered how the NFL was going to resume the game at the same time Hamlin lay motionless on the field.
Again, the league will need to figure out what to do with the game but Hamlin’s health was and still is the top concern. Similarly, there were those who came up with fringe conspiracy theories. We’ll eventually learn what caused Hamlin’s situation but this is a fluid situation and this isn’t the time to bring up uninformed takes.
The silver lining is that Damar Hamlin’s injury is showing that we’re capable of making a positive impact. Also, it reminded everyone that NFL players are one hit away from experiencing a life-changing event.