The game between the Buffalo Bills and Cincinnati Bengals on Monday night was postponed due to Bills safety Damar Hamlin collapsing in the first quarter. He was given CPR before being rushed to the hospital where he remains as of this writing. The NFL community has shown support for Hamlin and his family, and neither the coaches nor the players from the Bills and Bengals commented on the situation. However, Bengals owner Mike Brown issued a statement on the incident.
“First and foremost, the Bengals continue to send thoughts and prayers to Damar Hamlin and his family,” Brown wrote. “Our hearts are with everyone in this unprecedented time – what we can do is support one another. Last night was supposed to be a great night for the NFL and a great showcase for our hometown. Instead, the human side of our sport became paramount … and in that moment, humanity and love rose to the forefront.
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“As medical personnel undertook extraordinary measures, both teams demonstrated respect and compassion while fans in the stadium and people around the country bolstered the support for Damar and love for each other. The Bengals are thankful for the love and compassion shown by all. Praying for Damar.”
Hamlin’s family also released a statement on the incident, thanking everyone for their prayers and donations. The 24-year-old is in his second season with the Bills and was having a strong season with 91 tackles, 1.5 sacks and two passes defended. The game was aired on ESPN, and former NFL standout Ryan Clark shared his thoughts on the injury while talking to Scot Van Pelt on the network.
“The lives of Damar Hamlin and his family, the lives of the Buffalo Bills, the lives of the Cincinnati Bengals, are forever changed tonight in a split second. That’s how fast it can happen,” Clark said, per Fox News. “And so something that you always wanted to do with your entire life, something that you love, something that you said to everybody around you, I would give anything to have this – we saw Damar Hamlin do that. And all I can say thinking about those players, thinking about my reaction, listening to you try to answer or how to pose this question to me, Eaves, we were not ready for this. We were not prepared for this.”
