Getty Bills-Bengals Week 17 Monday Night Football.
Members of Chiefs Kingdom quickly took to Twitter to react to one of the scariest situations ever seen on an NFL field after Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin collapsed and received CPR on the field following a hard hit against Cincinnati Bengals receiver Tee Higgins during the Week 17 Monday Night Football game on January 2.
Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes reacted to the situation, writing, “Praying hard.. please be okay man.”
Praying hard.. please be okay man. 🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽
“CPR ? I hope he is alright prayers to him,” wide receiver Mecole Hardman wrote. “Damn I hope he is ok.”
CPR ? I hope he is alright prayers to him ❤️ Damn I hope he is ok 🙏🏾
Defensive end Frank Clark wrote, “Prayers for Damar!”
Prayers for Damar!
Receiver Kadarius Toney wrote, “Hamlin need every prayer we can give him.”
Former Chiefs head coach Todd Haley wrote, “Praying hard for Damar Hamlin. Was at same field when Ryan Shazier went down. So shocking.”
Praying hard for Damar Hamlin. Was at same field when Ryan Shazier went down . So shocking 🙏
“Man I hope he’s ok man,” receiver Marquez Valdez-Scantling wrote. “We risk our lives daily for this game. And y’all take that shit for granted. Send as many prayers up for him. Lord protect him.”
Man I hope he’s ok man. We risk our lives daily for this game. And y’all take that shit for granted. Send as many prayers up for him. Lord protect him.
“God please be with Damar Hamlin and his family during this horrific time. Never seen anything like this before,” former Chiefs linebacker Derrick Johnson wrote.
God please be with Damar Hamlin and his family during this horrific time. Never seen anything like this before. 🙏🏽 #keepprayingeveryone
What Happened to Bills Safety Damar Hamlin?
With 5:58 remaining in the first quarter, Hamlin, 24, took a helmet to the chest from Higgins while attempting to make a tackle. Once the play was over, Hamlin stood up briefly but then collapsed backward onto the ground. His teammates urgently called for medical staff to tend to Hamlin.
CPR was administered to Hamlin on the field for “multiple minutes,” according to ESPN. He was then put on a stretcher, given oxygen and put in an ambulance to be transported to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center, per ESPN.
The game was temporarily postponed, as players on Buffalo’s sideline were visibly upset about what they had just seen their teammate go through. After a discussion between Bills head coach Sean McDermott, Bengals head coach Zac Taylor and the game officials, the two teams decided to head to the locker room to recuperate and decide what their next course of action would be.
Just over an hour after the initial incident, the NFL announced at 10 p.m. Eastern time that it would postpone the game entirely. They also issued a statement saying that Hamlin was in critical condition.
“Hamlin received immediate medical attention on the field by team and independent medical staff and local paramedics. He was then transported to a local hospital where he is in critical condition,” the NFL statement indicated.
“Our thoughts are with Damar and the Buffalo Bills. We will provide more information as it becomes available.”
An update from the Bills at 1:48 a.m. Eastern time also confirmed Hamlin had “suffered a cardiac arrest” and is “currently sedated and listed in critical condition.”
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.
Will Bills-Bengals Game Still Be Played?
Although some Buffalo players stayed in Cincinnati to be with their teammate in the hospital, according to Schefter, many of the Bills players/staff flew home Monday night, which was first reported by Joe Danneman of Fox 19 in Cincinnati.
Source: Bills are flying home. They are not staying in Cincinnati.
The NFL has not announced what its plan is when it comes to restarting the Bills-Bengals game at a later date. “At the appropriate time, I’m sure that we’ll have a conversation around the next steps regarding the game,” NFL Executive Vice President of Communications Jeff Miller told reporters in a late-night conference call, according to Fox 19.