NFL pro Damar Hamlin suffers cardiac arrest at Bills game

Dhe football pros cried. In a circle, the Buffalo Bills players and coaches knelt around each other on the field, arms crossed. Their defender Damar Hamlin had just been transported from the field to a clinic in an ambulance. The NFL’s top game between the Bills and the Cincinnati Bengals was called off Monday night.

For minutes, the 24-year-old Hamlin was resuscitated by paramedics and doctors after a cardiac arrest in front of the 65,515 spectators at Cincinnati’s Paul Brown Stadium, while some of his teammates burst into tears. Crowds of Bills fans gathered near the hospital, some holding candles. “Please pray for our brother,” Buffalo quarterback Josh Allen tweeted.

“Heartbeat restored while still on the field”

The events were reminiscent of the dramatic scenes at the 2021 European Football Championship, when Danish international Christian Eriksen collapsed with cardiac arrest in the game against Finland and had to be revived.

“Damar Hamlin went into cardiac arrest after being hit in our game against the Bengals. His heartbeat was restored on the field and he was taken to UC Medical Center for further testing and treatment. He is currently sedated and in critical condition,” the Bills said on Twitter.

Midway through the first quarter, Hamlin went for a tackle in standard football-game defensive action, and the Bills defenseman knocked down Bengals receiver Tee Higgins. Higgins shoulder-led his running action and caught the defender in the chest. Hamlin got up after his tackle, adjusted his helmet – and collapsed a few seconds later. “My prayers and thoughts are with Damar Hamlin and his family. Praying you get through this bro,” Higgins wrote on Twitter.

“I’ve never seen anything like this in my playing career,” former NFL football player Troy Vincent said in a media round. “I immediately switched to the player’s perspective: How can you continue playing right in front of you after such a traumatic incident?”

90 minutes after the start of the game, the football league also decided to abandon the game when the Bengals were 7-3. Initially, the two head coaches, Buffalo’s Sean McDermott and Cincinnati’s Zac Taylor, and the referees agreed that the game would be abandoned.

Sports stars send messages to Hamlin

“Hamlin received immediate medical attention on the field from the team, independent doctors and paramedics. He was then taken to a local hospital and is in critical condition. Our thoughts are with Damar and the Buffalo Bills. As more information becomes available, we will share it,” NFL boss Roger Goodell said in a statement.

A little later, Jordon Rooney, himself a “good friend” of Hamlin and also his marketing consultant, spoke on social media. Rooney said Hamlin’s vital signs had returned. The football professional was put under anesthesia by the doctors so that he could be artificially ventilated. Further tests are currently underway. There was initially no official confirmation of this information from the family or the Buffalo Bills.

Kansas City Chiefs star quarterback Patrick Mahomes wrote on Twitter: “Please be okay. I’m praying.” Meanwhile, basketball superstar LeBron James also said: “It’s horrible to see, I wish him all the best. Player safety in all sports is always the most important thing. Canceling the game was definitely the right decision.”

Some observers probably woke up memories of an accident in 2007. At that time, Kevin Everett, a defensive player for the Buffalo Bills, also went down after a tackle. Everett sustained a spinal cord injury that left him paralyzed on one side.

It was not initially clear when and in what form the game between the Bengals and Bills should be continued. The last main round game day in the NFL will take place next weekend, on which the last playoff participants and the order in the table will be determined. As the Bengals battle for their division’s title, the Bills still have a shot at the AFC’s best record.