Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin is removed from Paycor Stadium in Cincinnati in an ambulance on Jan. 2 as his teammates kneel at the bottom left of the image. (Schetm via Wikimedia Commons)
Damar Hamlin, a safety for the Buffalo Bills, is in critical condition after collapsing during a game in Cincinnati. The 24-year-old suffered cardiac arrest after being hit, but medical personnel restored his heartbeat. The NFL postponed the game. Gus Garvey, The Mirror’s NFL reporter, has this commentary.
I’m going to make one thing very clear from the beginning here. Yes, this was a huge game with massive implications for the playoffs. Yes, it was competitive. But none of that matters anymore. No part of last night’s game matters, and that’s because the worst-case scenario played out on a football field last night.
In regards to the game, it has been postponed indefinitely. I don’t know when it will be played, if at all. I will write a recap this week for any of you wondering. It will be out today or tomorrow. None of that is relevant right now. The only thing that matters right now is Damar Hamlin.
With 6 minutes left in the first quarter, he was hit in the chest area while making a tackle on Cincinnati’s Tee Higgins. He got up from it and immediately collapsed to the ground, where he remained for over 40 minutes. Suffering cardiac arrest, it took a while for medical personnel to restore his heartbeat. He was loaded into an ambulance afterward and rushed to UC Medical, one of the best hospitals in the country.
At this point, no one cares about the game. The only thing football fans, and at this point, the country and perhaps the world, care about is if Damar Hamlin is okay. They’ve already attempted to show solidarity, too. During his time with the Bills, Hamlin has developed a tradition of holding toy drives for children in need. During the game, he had an active fundraiser out for the drive. His goal was to raise $2,500. The charity has raised over $3 million since he collapsed on the field. That’s heartwarming. In a sport where the fan bases are as large and hardcore, the fact that everyone immediately came together in solidarity for Hamlin is very inspiring.
What isn’t inspiring is the NFL’s response to this tragedy. In particular, the decisions made about the game resuming. Please explain, Roger Goodell: HOW ON EARTH DO YOU EXPECT TWO TEAMS WHO JUST WATCHED A BROTHER ALMOST DIE ON THE FIELD TO SUIT BACK UP AND START PLAYING IN FIVE MINUTES? Please explain how the league didn’t immediately cancel the game and left the players and fans in limbo for over an hour!
Last night proves again that the NFL doesn’t care about its players’ well-being. Sure, Mr. Goodell, you didn’t make the call to give the players just five minutes to recover. Sure, there’s a process for canceling a game. WHY IS THERE EVEN A PROCESS TO BEGIN WITH? The fact that it took both head coaches yelling at the refs – twice – about how both sides were physically and mentally unable to play football is damning to the mindset and culture of the Shield as a whole.
The NFL and Football as a sport received a massive black eye last night, and it may get even worse depending on what happens with how the conclusion of the game is handled and, more importantly, Hamlin’s recovery.
Football is a brutal game, and Hamlin experienced the worst-case scenario. My thoughts are with him and his family. They don’t deserve this. No one does.
