Courtesy of Vikings Vikings cornerback Patrick Peterson called out Skip Bayless for a poorly timed tweet after Bills safety Damar Hamlin suffered a medical emergency on January 2, 2023.
Patrick Peterson of the Minnesota Vikings is among the players who have criticized pundit Skip Bayless for what appeared to be an insensitive tweet he posted just minutes after Damar Hamlin of the Buffalo Bills was taken in critical condition to a hospital in Cincinnati after collapsing on the field.
“Come on!!!” Peterson wrote as he retweeted a post by former New York Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis, who’d tweeted at Bayless minutes earlier, “All u care about is football when damar hamlin’s life is at risk. coming from u i expected more. this tweet is not. u of all people should know better bro.”
@Revis24 @RealSkipBayless Come on!!!
Bayless, the cohost of “Skip and Shannon: Undisputed” on FS1, tweeted at 9:30 p.m. Eastern time, “No doubt the NFL is considering postponing the rest of this game – but how? This late in the season, a game of this magnitude is crucial to the regular-season outcome… which suddenly seems so irrelevant.”
No doubt the NFL is considering postponing the rest of this game – but how? This late in the season, a game of this magnitude is crucial to the regular-season outcome … which suddenly seems so irrelevant.
About an hour later, Bayless attempted to clarify his earlier tweet, which by then was on its way to going viral. It garnered over 130 million views overnight. On the January 3 episode “Undisputed,” Bayless formally apologized.
“I apologize for what for what we’re going to set out to do here today, if it offends anyone because we’re going to try to do the show pretty much as usual we do the show,” he said. “I’ll admit up front that I’m still shook up what happened last night to Damar Hamlin. In fact, I’m still wrecked. In fact, I’m not sure I’m capable of doing this show today.”
Vikings Share Support for Damar Hamlin
After checking Bayless, Peterson pivoted quickly to sending his thoughts and prayers to Hamlin, as did many of Peterson’s teammates.
“Lord we ask for a miracle! 🙏🏾,” Peterson tweeted.
Lord we ask for a miracle! 🙏🏾
“Praying for Damar Hamlin and his family,” quarterback Kirk Cousins tweeted.
Praying for Damar Hamlin and his family.
Vikings Hall of Famer Cris Carter offered his prayers for Hamlin as well.
🙏 Damar
Wide receiver Adam Thielen and his wife, Caitlin, both took to Twitter to share and encourage others to pray for Hamlin.
Rookie cornerback Akayleb Evans tweeted “I am so sick and at a loss for words about this man.”
I am so sick and at a loss for words about this man
Cornerback Kris Boyd woke up with Hamlin still on his mind.
“Damar Hamlin still in my thoughts and prayers,” Boyd tweeted. “Been on my mind heavy, all through the night and when I woke. Its saddening me… Pulling for him, man!”
Damar Hamlin still in my thoughts and prayers…Been on my mind heavy, all through the night and when I woke. Its saddening me…Pulling for him, man!❤️💙
Damar Hamlin’s Strong Reputation</h2?
Beyond thoughts and prayers, the response to Hamlin has been magnifying.
Hamlin has a reputation as a community-oriented figure. He had numerous high-profile college offers but chose to attend the University of Pittsburgh to stay close to family.
As a rookie in 2021, Hamlin started a toy drive on Go Fund Me, writing at the time: “As I embark on my journey to the NFL, I will never forget where I come from and I am committed to using my platform to positively impact the community that raised me. I created The Chasing M’s Foundation as a vehicle that will allow me to deliver that impact.”
The fundraiser, which had an initial goal of $2,500, surged in the hours following the on-field incident.
“The fundraiser topped $74,000 just one hour after Hamlin’s collapse and quickly grew to $2,033,270 just before 1 a.m. ET Tuesday,” CNN reported.
As of midday January 3, the fund has surpassed $4 million in donations from the public. If you’d like to donate or support Hamlin’s efforts, click here.
Hamlin collapsed to the ground after briefly standing up following a tackle in the first quarter of the Bills’ Week 17 Monday night matchup with the Cincinnati Bengals. The 24-year-old was rushed to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center and remains in “critical condition” after he suffered “cardiac arrest” during the game, according to Buffalo’s update early Tuesday morning.
Damar Hamlin spent last night in the intensive care unit and remains there today in critical condition at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center.
We are grateful and thankful for the outpouring of support we have received thus far.
The game was postponed by the NFL shortly after 10 p.m. Eastern time on Monday, with the top seed in the AFC playoffs on the line. Hamlin remained in critical condition in the late afternoon following the collapse. The NFL said it would not make the game between the Bills and Bengals this week.