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The San Francisco 49ers were among many representing the NFL in praying for Damar Hamlin of the Buffalo Bills on January 2 after he went into cardiac arrest on the field and was taken to a Cincinnati hospital, where he is listed in critical condition.
The 49ers showed love shortly after the incident, tweeting, “Prayers up for @HamlinIsland and the Bills.”
Individual members of the 49ers chimed in with their own support of Hamlin.
All-Pro wide receiver Deebo Samuel was among the 49ers thinking of Hamlin.
“God be with him and his family,” Samuel tweeted with the prayer emoji.
Second-year cornerback Deommodore Lenoir, who was part of the same 2021 draft class with Hamlin, sent out prayers on Twitter.
Long snapper Taybor Pepper joined Samuel and Lenoir in sending his well wishes to Hamlin.
Wide receiver/return man Ray-Ray McCloud added his statement.
“God be with him,” he tweeted.
Rookie defensive tackle Kalia Davis was one more member of the 49ers who sent out his prayers.
ESPN Analyst & Former NFL Player Ryan Clark Shares Powerful Message
The horrific scene sparked a multitude of reactions across the internet. However, ESPN analyst Ryan Clark, a former NFL safety, gave what many have lauded as a poignant take on the situation.
“This is about Damar Hamlin. It was about a young man at 24-year-old living his dream. …And now he fights for his life,” Clark said on “SportsCenter” with Scott Van Pelt. “When Damar Hamlin falls to the turf, and when you see the medical staff rush to the field and both teams are on the field, you realize this isn’t normal. You realize that this isn’t just football.”
Clark continued, sharing what tends to get lost among motivational cliches before games.
“So many times in this game, and in our job as well, we use the cliches ‘I’m ready to die for this. I’m willing to give my life for this. It’s time to go to war.’ And I think sometimes we use those things so much, we forget that part of living this dream is putting your life at risk,” he said. “Tonight, we got to see a side of football that is extremely ugly. A side of football that no one ever wants to see and never wants to admit exists.”
He discussed how thinking about Hamlin comes with multiple layers.
“When you see both teams on the field crying in that way, your first thought is Damar Hamlin, your second thought is his family. This isn’t about a football player. This is about a human. This is about a brother. This is about a son. This is about a friend. This is about someone who is loved by so many that you have to watch go through this,” Clark said.
He said most important part of the night was the well-being of Hamlin, not the Bills and Bengals playing in a pivotal AFC showdown.
“If you put them out there tomorrow, you’re going to get a trash game anyway,” he said, adding: “What’s important is Damar Hamlin.”
What Happened to Damar Hamlin?
Hamlin tackled Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins with 5:58 to play in the first quarter of the highly anticipated Week 17 matchup. Hamlin took a hard hit to the chest and got back up after the play, before stumbling and collapsing onto the turf. Fox 19 Cincinnati reporter Joe Danneman wrote that Hamlin, 24, was not breathing on his own and was transported to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center.
“I’m told Damar Hamlin has a pulse, but is not breathing on his own,” Danneman tweeted at 9:20 p.m. Eastern time. “He is being transported to UC. Needed AED and CPR on the field.”
An official NFL statement issued just after 10 p.m. Eastern time, about one hour after the on-field incident, revealed Hamlin was in critical condition and that the game had been postponed. An update from the Bills at 1:48 a.m. Eastern time confirmed Hamlin “suffered a cardiac arrest” and was “currently sedated and listed in critical condition.”
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