Last night’s Monday Night Football game between the Bills and Bengals was postponed after Buffalo safety Damar Hamlin collapsed on the field in the first quarter following a tackle on Cincinnati’s Tee Higgins. Hamlin was administered CPR on the field and taken by ambulance to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center, where as of this writing he is listed in critical condition.

Hamlin went into cardiac arrest, and his heartbeat was restored on the field, according to the Bills. Players on both sides were visibly shaken, some in tears, as first responders attended to Hamlin. And yet, it initially appeared as though the game would restart. Joe Buck said on the broadcast that the teams would be given five minutes to warm up before the game resumed. In a media call hours later, NFL executive vice president of football operations Troy Vincent denied that the league had tried to restart the game, calling the idea of a five-minute warmup “ridiculous.” (Buck said the information about a resumption that he relayed had come “from the league.”) The Bills reportedly flew home to Buffalo last night.

More than an hour passed between when Hamlin collapsed and the game was officially postponed. That left ESPN in the unenviable position of having to fill time without any new information to relay to viewers. But the network handled the situation well, with former players Booger McFarland and Ryan Clark leading the way. As the NFL dawdled on postponing the game, McFarland delivered a firm message that the league needed to read the room and call the game off. Clark, who was hospitalized after a game in 2007 due to complications related to sickle cell trait, spoke later in the night on SportsCenter about how Hamlin’s collapse is a reminder of what NFL players risk every time they step on the field.

By now NFL fans are aware of the dangers of head injuries and the potential issues they can cause later in a player’s life, but Hamlin’s injury is a reminder that football can have immediate tragic impacts, too.

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NFL fans have flooded Damar Hamlin’s toy drive with donations.
Bills receiver Stefon Diggs went to the hospital to see Hamlin, despite initially being stopped by a police officer.
Bengals receiver Tee Higgins, who was the player Hamlin hit before he collapsed, tweeted a message of support.
Other NFL players also shared their support for Hamlin on social media.

The top five...

…things I saw yesterday:

5. Jake DeBrusk’s game-winning goal in the Winter Classic.

4. Kevon Looney’s concentration on his game-winning putback in double overtime.

3. Top NHL draft prospect Connor Bedard’s overtime game-winner for Canada at the World Juniors.

2. 54 points for Klay Thompson.

1. Donovan Mitchell’s 71-point outburst. He’s just the seventh player in NBA history to score 70 in a game.

SIQ

In the history of the College Football Playoff, which dates back to 2014, which seed has won the most national titles?

SIQ from Dec. 30: How old was Pelé when he scored his first international goal?

Answer: 16. He was 16 years and 259 days old when he scored against Argentina in July 1957. He remains the youngest player to score for Brazil’s men’s national team and one of the youngest goalscorers in FIFA men’s history. Other teenage international goalscorers include Christian Pulisic (17 years, 253 days), Diego Maradona (18 years, 216 days) and Wayne Rooney (17 years, 317 days). FIFA recognizes Myanmar’s Aung Kyaw Tun as the youngest men’s international goalscorer. He scored against Thailand 93 days after his 14th birthday in 2000.

Pelé’s international stardom blossomed one year later at the 1958 World Cup, when he was just 17. Brazil played in—and won—the final, and he remains the youngest player to appear in a men’s World Cup final at 17 years and 249 days old. (Germany’s Birgit Prinz is the youngest player to appear in a women’s final at 17 years, 236 days in ’95.) Pelé scored six goals in that tournament. At the most recent World Cup, Spain midfielder Gavi (18 years, 110 days) became the youngest World Cup goalscorer since Pelé.

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