Getty Images Jason Tartick speaks out about Damar Hamlin.
Jason Tartick has been a longtime fan of the Buffalo Bills. While the former “Bachelorette” star was watching the game on Monday night, January 2, 2023, he saw one of the Bills players collapse on the field.
Safety Damar Hamlin made a play on the field, stood up, and collapsed, needing immediate medical attention. While some fans figured that he was simply hurt or perhaps had a concussion, things became more serious within a matter of seconds.
Fans watched as Hamlin received CPR on the field.
“I’m told Damar Hamlin has a pulse, but is not breathing on his own,” Fox 19 reporter Joe Danneman tweeted. “He is being transported to UC. Needed AED and CPR on the field.”
At 1:48 a.m. Eastern time, the Bills’ official account tweeted an update saying Hamlin had “suffered a cardiac arrest” following the hit and was in critical condition at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center.
Tartick took to his Instagram Stories to share his live reaction to offer his take on what may have happened to Hamlin after speaking to a friend who he said is a cardiologist.
Here’s what you need to know:
What Is Commotio Cordis?
As Hamlin received medical attention on the field at Paycor Stadium, his team huddled around him, many on their knees and several of them crying.
“Nothing puts a football game in perspective like this right now,” Tartick said on his Instagram Stories. “There’s a player down. What they’re hearing is they brought defibrillators out, CPR, players are crying.”
“Okay, so I talked to my buddy who is a cardiologist in New York and he was saying — with no idea of what happened but based on just a mechanism — they treated the injury with CPR and defibrillators. It’s likely something called commotio cordis, which is when there’s impact — severe impact — to the heart and it actually triggers the heart to go into cardiac arrest,” Tartick said.
“That is the only conclusion, only made off of just what they saw as a mechanism of treatment. It sounds like it’s really, really not good,” he added.
According to the University of Connecticut, commotio cordis is “sudden arrhythmic death caused by a low/mild chest wall impact.” The condition can occur when a person is hit in the chest and is typically seen among young athletes, according to UConn. “Without immediate CPR and defibrillation the prognosis of commotio cordis is not very good,” the website says.
Tartick’s friend isn’t alone in speculating that Hamlin suffered commotio cortis; neurosurgeon and CNN medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta said on Tuesday morning that commotio cortis “was the suspicion” among medical professionals he spoke with on Monday night.
No official sources have confirmed that Hamlin suffered commotio cordis.
Hamlin’s Heartbeat Was Restored on the Field
Our thoughts and prayers are with Damar, his family and the Buffalo Bills ❤️💙
“Damar Hamlin suffered a cardiac arrest following a hit in our game versus the Bengals. His heartbeat was restored on the field and he was transferred to the UC Medical Center for further testing and treatment. He is currently sedated and listed in critical condition,” read the middle-of-the-night statement from the Bills organization.
As the NFL world awaits further word on Hamlin’s condition, dozens of players and fans have sent out supportive messages and prayers for Hamlin’s recovery. Several of those messages have been comments on Hamlin’s most recent Instagram post, which was uploaded on Christmas Day.
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