We still don’t have a winner for the Monday Night Football game between the Buffalo Bills and the Cincinnati Bengals. The game was suspended indefinitely in the first quarter after a scary injury occurred to Bills safety Damar Hamlin. He suffered a cardiac episode that could have killed him. Hamlin’s heart stopped, and CPR was administered before he was whisked away to a nearby hospital, being admitted to the intensive care unit in critical condition. The good news at that time was that his pulse was restored.
Hamlin had the whole league rally around him; his modest charity goal of $2,500 for a toy drive before the game has collected more than $6 million in donations. We don’t know what caused his heart to stop, and I won’t speculate here—some supposed medical experts were saying he was brain-dead. He’s not. Hamlin can tell us what happened, but until that time—let’s hold back. We know that Hamlin opened his eyes today, was responsive, and squeezed the hands of family members close to him.
Great News! Damar Hamlin is awake and showing signs of improvement, according to teammate Kaiir Elam 🙏🙏
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) January 5, 2023
Damar Hamlin opened his eyes last night and is responsive. He has been gripping the hands of those close to him, per @RapSheet
— PFF (@PFF) January 5, 2023
Amazing to hear. pic.twitter.com/w7BOJPd2kT
Damar Hamlin has "shown remarkable improvement over the past 24 hours," according to physicians at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center.
— ESPN (@espn) January 5, 2023
His lungs continue to heal and he is making steady progress. pic.twitter.com/L19LYkNoqI
Can confirm Damar Hamlin has been gripping the hands of his family members. Also told we will hear nothing from the family at the moment as they are still processing these developments.
— Coley Harvey (@ColeyHarvey) January 5, 2023
From NFL Now: #Bills safety Damar Hamlin has opened his eyes. pic.twitter.com/Obu9czCxhD
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 5, 2023
#Bills S Damar Hamlin opened his eyes last night and is responsive. Truly incredible. One thing that's very clear from speaking to those close to him: They are endlessly appreciative of the medical care given to Hamlin on the field immediately, then over the last 72 hours.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 5, 2023
The debate on the periphery here is what will come of this game. The Bengals were leading 7-3 in the first quarter before Hamlin collapsed after tackling Cincinnati wide receiver Tee Higgins. Even with both teams already clinching playoff spots, this wasn’t a throwaway game for either franchise. The Bills may have won the AFC East again, but they needed a win in the Nati to secure the all-important first seed in the playoffs. The Bengals could have won the AFC North with a win over Buffalo Monday. Will the game be rescheduled? The league and the players on both teams are more concerned about Hamlin’s health and continued recovery.
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