Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
USA Today Sports Media Group
USA Today Sports Media Group
Sport
Robert Zeglinski

NBC showed Damar Hamlin picking his teeth in the middle of a serious conversation about his injury

Sunday night was an emotional one for the Buffalo Bills.

It marked the first time that safety Damar Hamlin returned to the Cincinnati Bengals’ home field since his scary cardiac arrest last January. Hamlin didn’t play and has understandably featured in little action this year as he gradually works his way back in. But his on-field collapse remains one of the more harrowing moments in NFL history. As such, NBC’s Mike Tirico and Cris Collinsworth took some time to discuss the emotional gravitas of Hamlin’s injury and return to the NFL during the game. There was just one itsy-bitsy problem.

The network’s cameras probably couldn’t have a picked more awkward time to cut to Hamlin on Buffalo’s sideline as he picked his teeth. I’m almost stunned they showed Hamlin in this unflattering position at all:

I know the folks at NBC can’t predict what Hamlin or any player on the sideline will do at any given moment. But man, I don’t know. If we’re going to have a serious discussion about someone’s life-threatening injury from football on live national television, perhaps we should ensure we don’t show them from a compromised angle.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.