NFL player Damar Hamlin is in critical condition in hospital after suffering a cardiac arrest on the field during a game on Monday night.
The Buffalo Bills safety collapsed to the ground after making a tackle on Cincinnati Bengals receiver Tee Higgins before being treated by first responders.
CPR was administered and his heartbeat restored on the field before Hamlin was taken from the field in an ambulance to a local hospital.
“Damar Hamlin suffered a cardiac arrest following a hit in our game versus the Bengals,” the Bills posted on their official Twitter account.
“His heartbeat was restored on the field and he was transferred to the UC Medical Center for further testing and treatment. He is currently sedated and listed in critical condition.”
Players of both the Bills and the Bengals were visibly emotional alongside Hamlin on the field and prayed together as the player received treatment.
Hamlin’s teammates were given a standing ovation by fans in Cincinnati and NFL commissioner Roger Goodell soon announced that the game had been postponed following the incident.
In a statement, the NFL said: “Hamlin received immediate medical attention on the field by team and independent medical staff and local paramedics.
“He was then transported to a local hospital where he is in a critical condition.”
A statement from the NFL Players Association said: “The NFLPA and everyone in our community is praying for Damar Hamlin.
“We have been in touch with Bills and Bengals players, and with the NFL. The only thing that matters at this moment is Damar’s health and wellbeing.”
Higgins tweeted: “My prayers and thoughts go out to @HamlinIsland the Hamlin Family. I’m praying that you pull through bro. Love.” Higgins added a prayer and blue heart emoji.
Bills quarterback Josh Allen said on his personal Twitter account: “Please pray for our brother.”
Arizona Cardinals’ JJ Watt, a three-time NFL defensive player of the year, tweeted: “The game is not important. Damar Hamlin’s life is important. Please be ok. Please.”
Buffalo are the only franchise to play in New York state and Eric Adams, the Mayor of New York City, led the prayers for Hamlin.
Adams said: “I’m asking all New Yorkers to join me in praying for Damar Hamlin, his family, his team-mates, and our brothers and sisters in Buffalo.”
“The entire City of Cincinnati is sending all of our prayers to Damar Hamlin right now,” Cincinnati mayor Aftab Pureval added. “Our hearts are with you, your family and your friends.”
The Bills returned to the team facility in Orchard Park, New York in the early hours of Tuesday morning, with the exception of a few players including star wide receiver Stefon Diggs, who stayed behind with Hamlin.
About 100 Bills fans and a few Bengals fans gathered on a corner one block from the emergency room entrance, some of them holding candles.
Basketball star LeBron James also offered has prayers to Hamlin following the Los Angeles Lakers’ victory over the Charlotte Hornets.
James said: “My thoughts and super prayers go up to the skies above for that kid’s family, for him, for that brotherhood of the NFL and everybody part of the NFL family.
“It was definitely the right call to suspend that game. The safety of players in all sports is always the most important.
“It was a terrible thing to see and I wish nothing but the best for that kid, for the city of Buffalo, the franchise of the Bills, the rest of the NFL and the Bengals who were playing in that game.”
Critics slammed the NFL for the lengthy pause between when Hamlin went down and when the game was ultimately postponed.
“Imagine you’re a football player watching this,” writer Wajahat Ali wrote on Twitter. “The NFL, as an organization, has refused to call the game an hour after your colleague and brother went down on the floor and had to receive 9 minutes of CPR. This is what they think of you. Just a gladiator. An animal.”
“CALL THE GAME,” in reference to the NFL matchup, quickly became a trending topic on social media following the on-field scare.
“I’ve never seen anything like it since I was playing,” NFL executive Troy Vincent, a six-time Pro Bowl cornerback during his career, said on Tuesday morning. “Immediately, my player hat went on, like, how do you resume playing after seeing a traumatic event in front of you?”
Vincent insisted the league took no steps towards restarting the game and did not ask players to begin a five-minute warmup period as ESPN’s broadcasters had announced.
“It never crossed our mind to talk about warming up to resume play,” Vincent said. “That’s ridiculous. That’s insensitive. That’s not a place we should ever be in.”
Hamlin spent five years at his hometown college of Pittsburgh appearing 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.
By late Monday night, a community toy drive organized by Hamlin had surged to more than $1.2 million in donations. His stated goal was $2,500.
The league have confirmed they have made no plans at this time to play the game adding that Hamlin’s health remains the main focus.
