The NFL announced on Tuesday that the Bills vs. Bengals matchup will not be rescheduled for this week.
The Monday Night Football game between the powerhouse franchises was postponed after Buffalo’s Damar Hamlin went into cardiac arrest in the first quarter. A specific time and date for the game to continue have not been set yet, per the league.
“The NFL continues to be in regular contact with the medical team caring for Damar Hamlin, and also the Bills and Bengals organizations and the NFL Players Association,” the NFL’s statement read. “After speaking with both teams and NFLPA leadership, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell informed the clubs today that the Bills-Bengals game will not be resumed this week.
“The NFL has made no decision regarding the possible resumption of the game at a later date. The league has not made any changes to the Week 18 regular season schedule. We will continue to provide additional information as it becomes available.”
Following a tackle on Bengals receiver Tee Higgins, the Bills safety initially did get to his feet after the play before falling to the floor. He received CPR on the field and was then transported to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center. Buffalo released a statement hours later that the 24-year-old went into cardiac arrest and is in critical condition.
It took more than an hour after the frightening moment before the league officially postponed the game.
NFL executive vice president of football operations Troy Vincent later explained the league’s decision in a press conference and denied the five-minute warm-up time report that was said on ESPN’s broadcast when the game was temporarily suspended.
“It never crossed our mind to talk about warming up to resume play,” Vincent said. “That’s ridiculous. That’s insensitive.”
ESPN stuck by it’s report, saying in a Tuesday statement that, “There was constant communication in real time between ESPN and league and game officials. As a result of that, we reported what we were told in the moment and immediately updated fans as new information was learned.
“This was an unprecedented, rapidly-evolving circumstance. All night long, we refrained from speculation,” the network’s statement continued.
Hamlin’s family released a statement the next morning via Jordon Rooney, Damar’s marketing rep.
“On behalf of our family, we want to express our sincere gratitude for the love and support shown to Damar during this challenging time,” the statement read. “We are deeply moved by the prayers, kind words, and donations from fans around the country.
“We also want to acknowledge the dedicated first responders and healthcare professionals at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center who have provided exceptional care to Damar. We feel so blessed to be part of the Buffalo Bills organization and to have their support. We also want to thank Coach (Zac) Taylor and the Bengals for everything they’ve done.
“Your generosity and compassion mean the world to us.
“Please keep Damar in your prayers. We will release updates as soon as we have them.”
