Buffalo Bills set foot on the pitch without Damar Hamlin for the first time over the weekend, and they honored him in the best way.
This comes after Hamlin suffered a cardiac arrest on the pitch.
The athlete is reportedly recovering well, and the Bills made the hard decision to carry on without the safety.
They played their first game on Sunday against the Patriots…
And the way they honored their teammate was heartwarming.
Read on to find out more.
Now, the NFL is no stranger when it comes to injuries.
There’s a long list of NFL players who have sustained injuries as a result of the game.
And sometimes those injuries can cost the player not only the game…
But also, their health.
But sadly, injuries are still plaguing the NFL.
And Damar Hamlin is the player most recently affected.
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On Monday, Buffalo Bills player Damar Hamlin suffered a medical incident on the field.
He sadly suffered a cardiac arrest.
The event occurred during the game against the Cincinnati Bengals.
The BBC reports that Hamlin fell to the ground after colliding with an opponent.
Hamlin received treatment on the field for 30 minutes before being transferred to hospital.
The NFL then made the decision to suspend the game.
As the scene unfolded, support flooded in for Hamlin.
With many concerned about the young athlete.
Players gathered around Hamlin, with many visibly distressed or praying.
But some good news has emerged…
Jordon Rooney, Hamlin’s representative, shared an update on Twitter.
Where it was confirmed that Hamlin’s heartbeat was restored on the field before he was moved to hospital.
According to the outlet, Rooney wrote: “His vitals are back to normal and they have put him to sleep to put a breathing tube down his throat.
“They are currently running tests. We will provide updates as we have them.”
The league’s players’ association added: “We have been in touch with Bills and Bengals players and with the NFL.
“The only thing that matters at this moment is Damar’s health and well-being.”
During the incident, ESPN had to make some quick broadcast decisions.
While Hamlin received treatment, the network decided to cut in and out of break while players surrounded him.
Lisa Salters, the sideline reporter, the told crowds Hamlin was receiving CPR.
ESPN then made the decision to cut away from fieldside cameras.
They then cut to the studio, where Suzy Kolber was hosting with Adam Schefter and Booger McFarland.
“The emotion that we’re experiencing tonight is really hard to describe,” Kolber said. “We cannot and will not speculate. What we do know is he needed CPR, and that in itself is terrifying.”
Following the tragedy, the internet has been donating to Hamlin’s GoFundMe fundraising page for a toy drive charity.
The page was set up by Hamlin in order to give back to the community that raised him.
The page reads: “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.
“I created The Chasing M’s Foundation as a vehicle that will allow me to deliver that impact, and the first program is the 2020 Community Toy Drive.
“This campaign gives you the opportunity to contribute to our first initiative and positively impact children who have been hardest hit by the pandemic. 100 percent of the funds raised will go toward the purchase of toys for kids in need.”
The campaign has smashed its $2,500 goal, and currently has over $3 million in donations!
Hamlin’s rep has also offered an update on his condition.
“‘I needed to provide some clarity – he was awake at that time – now he is sedated. The family is in good spirits, we’re just taking it minute by minute, hour by hour,” Jordon Rooney explained.
“His family is strong, supportive. Obviously they are worried. Damar is very close with his family.
“A lot of times you don’t view [athletes] as human, you know you watch them on tv. It’s important to remember this is a person.”
And now, commentator Skip Bayless has come under fire for a controversial tweet at the time of the incident.
“No doubt the NFL is considering postponing the rest of this game – but how?” he wrote at the time. “This late in the season, a game of this magnitude is crucial to the regular-season outcome … which suddenly seems so irrelevant.”
However, many thought this tweet was rather insensitive.
ESPN analyst Robert Griffin III replied, “Damar Hamlin’s LIFE is in the balance. Get your head out of your Ass.”
This led Bayless to apologize for his original tweet.
“Nothing is more important than that young man’s health. That was the point of my last tweet. I’m sorry if that was misunderstood but his health is all that matters. Again, everything else is irrelevant. I prayed for him & will continue to.”
But it seems as though Bayless’s co-host Shannon Sharpe is not yet prepared to forgive him.
As Sharpe was notably absent from today’s Undisputed, leaving Bayless to host alone.
“They’ve got Skip on the ropes,” tweeted one fan.
Where do you stand in this disagreement?
Hamlin’s uncle then offered a health update.
Dorrian Glenn, Hamlin’s uncle, told CNN Hamlin was resuscitated twice.
“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,” he said.
“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.”
“I never cried so hard in my life,” Glenn continued.
“Just to know, like, my nephew basically died on the field and they brought him back to life. I mean, it’s just heartbreaking.”
“He’s still sedated right now,” his uncle concluded.
“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.”
Internet doctors have since been speculating about what they think may have happened during Hamlin’s accident.
And it’s such a rare occurrence, only 30 cases are presented each year!
Dr Bernard Ashby, an Associate Professor at Florida International University, said he believed it was a case of the rare commotio cordis.
“The video of Damar Hamlin from a cardiologist’s perspective resembled commotio cordis – a phenomenon that occurs when a sudden blunt impact to the chest causes cardiac arrest. Timely defibrillation is life saving & prevents anoxic brain injury. I pray an AED was near,” he wrote on Twitter.
And Dr Deepak Bhatt, a cardiologist at Mount Sinai Heart in New York City, also agreed.
“The first thought that occurred to me was that it was something called commotio cordis. It really refers to the classic situation of injury to the chest,” he said in an interview with the Daily Mail.
“This is usually in baseball when someone hits a line into the pitcher’s chest and that sudden impact can trigger abnormal heart rhythms.
“The only way to come out of that is to deliver an electric shock and perform CPR.”
Bhatt added: “It could be the case that for a couple of seconds there was enough blood getting to the brain.
“When the heart stops beating we lose consciousness within a matter of seconds. Those may have been the few seconds before the brain stopped getting enough blood.”
Yesterday, there was a heartwarming update on Hamlin’s condition.
His ventilator usage has reportedly been dropped from 100% to just 50%!
His uncle, Dorrian Glenn told The Daily Mail, “He’s got a bit of lung damage from yesterday, but he was at 100 percent on the ventilator helping him breathe, but now he’s at 50 percent, so that’s a good thing.”
“Like I said, we’re just going to take it day by day. I’m grateful for all the prayers and support,” he concluded.
The Bills then offered yet more good news!
“Damar remains in the ICU in critical condition with signs of improvement noted yesterday and overnight. He is expected to remain under intensive care as his health care team continues to monitor and treat him,” they Tweeted.
They continued: “Per the physicians caring for Damar Hamlin at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center, Damar has shown remarkable improvement over the past 24 hours.
“While still critically ill, he has demonstrated that he appears to be neurologically intact. His lungs continue to heal and he is making steady progress. We are grateful for the love and support he has received.”
Doctors then confirmed that Damar Hamlin had woken up, People reported.
Dr. Timothy Pritts and Dr. William Knight IV have said that Hamlin seems neurologically intact, and is able to communicate.
And his first question to hospital staff? Well, it was who had won the Monday night football game.
The team simple replied: “You won. You won at the game of life.”
TMZ reports that he’s even managed to FaceTime his teammates!
And he shared a beautiful, simple message: “Love you boys.”
Senior lead NBA Insider, Shams Charania tweeted: ”The breathing tube is out of Damar Hamlin as of this morning and he has begun talking to Buffalo Bills teammates again.”
”Hamlin has had a breathing tube in body through his throat since Monday night, but no longer needs it and can breathe fully on his own.”
And it seems that his health is only continuing to improve.
As he’s now posted his first Instagram since the incident.
Hamlin shared a series of photos from the fateful day…
Along with a picture of the line doctors told him when he finally woke up.
Hamlin captioned his post: “When you put real love out into the world it comes back to you 3x’s as much..
“The Love has been overwhelming, but I’m thankful for every single person that prayed for me and reached out. We brung the world back together behind this. If you know me you know this only gone make me stronger. On a long road keep praying for me!”
Although Hamlin appears to be on the mend, fans have been left furious at the Steelers after a player performed a mock CPR.
After Alex Highsmith won a sack from Cleveland Browns’ Deshaun Watson, fellow Steelers players ran on the pitch to celebrate.
As Highsmith was lying down, one player, in particular, ran over and appeared to give him congratulatory chest compressions.
Highsmith didn’t seem too pleased with the player and stood up immediately.
Fans were outraged by the incident, and a clip was quickly shared online, with many calling out the team for their actions.
One wrote: “Embarrassing as a Steeler fan. Wonder why we haven’t won a playoff game in 6 years,” while another added: “Maybe not the most appropriate celebration for this week.”
“Really disgraceful behavior,” a third commented.
You can see the clip for yourself here.
Since Hamlin’s terrifying ordeal, the Bills have played their first match, and paid tribute to their teammate at the same time.
Before the game against the Patriots began on Sunday, players took to the field with “Pray for Damar” flags, and the crowd went wild.
Fans also brought their own posters filled with well-wishes for the athlete.
And it seems Hamlin wasn’t missing out on anything, as he watched on from his hospital bed, tweeting, “OMFG!!!!!!” when Nyheim Hines scored a touchdown.
