Damar Hamlin's family released a statement thanking fans and medical professionals at the University of Cincinnati Hospital after the Buffalo Bills safety was left in a critical condition. Hamlin suffered a cardiac arrest after making a routine tackle on Cincinnati Bengals player Tee Higgins.
Fans inside the Paycor Stadium were stunned into silence as ambulance crews raced onto the turf to attend to Hamlin, who had fallen to the floor after getting up from making the tackle. Paramedics performed CPR on him for six minutes and restarted his heart using CPR and a defibrillator.
He was then loaded into an ambulance and taken to the University of Cincinnati Hospital, where he remains in a critical condition.
The Bills released a statement on Tuesday morning to confirm he had suffered a cardiac arrest, and stated they would provide more updates when appropriate.
And on Tuesday evening, Hamlin's family released a statement confirming there was no update on his condition, but thanking fans for their support.
The statement read: "On behalf of our family, we want to express our sincere gratitude for the love and support shown to Damar during this challenging time. 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 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."
