Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin is in critical condition after collapsing during the first quarter of Monday’s game against the Cincinnati Bengals. The NFL officially suspended the game within an hour after the on-field incident.
After he collided with Cincinnati wide receiver Tee Higgins and fell to the ground, Hamlin stood up, appeared to adjust his helmet and briefly staggered before he collapsed.
Hamlin, 24, was given immediate medical attention and administered CPR. ESPN reported during its Monday Night Football broadcast that Hamlin was also given oxygen. Bills players and staff gathered and prayed as an ambulance took Hamlin off the field and transported him to University of Cincinnati Medical Center. According to ESPN, Hamlin’s mother rode in the ambulance with him as it left the stadium at 9:25 p.m. ET.
Many players were in tears, including cornerback Tre’Davious White. Starting quarterbacks, Buffalo’s Josh Allen and Cincinnati’s Joe Burrow, also embraced before leaving the field.
“Our thoughts are with Damar and the Buffalo Bills. We will provide more information as it becomes available,” the league said in a statement. “The NFL has been in constant communication with the NFL Players Association which is in agreement with postponing the game.”
The game was first temporarily suspended after Bills coach Sean McDermott and Bengals coach Zac Taylor met briefly with on-field officials and both teams made their way to their locker rooms. Hamlin's uniform was cut off and he appeared to be getting CPR from medical personnel. ESPN reported on its telecast that Hamlin was also given oxygen.
“No one’s been through this,” longtime NFL quarterback Troy Aikman said on the ESPN telecast. “I’ve never seen anything like it, either.”
Hamlin spent five years of college at Pitt—his hometown team—and appeared in 48 games for the Panthers over that span. He was a second-team All-ACC performer as a senior, was voted a team captain and was picked to play in the Senior Bowl.
He was drafted in the sixth round by the Bills in 2021, played in 14 games as a rookie and then became a starter this year once Micah Hyde was lost for the season to injury.
Entering the game, the 6-foot, 200-pound Hamlin had 91 tackles, including 63 solo tackles, and 1 1/2 sacks.
Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.
