Buffalo Bills’ Damar Hamlin in critical condition after collapsing on field; game suspended

CINCINNATI, OH (WXIX/AP) -- Bills safety Damar Hamlin was in critical condition after he collapsed on the field Monday night, the NFL said, and Buffalo’s game against the Cincinnati Bengals was suspended. Hamlin was administered CPR on the field, ESPN reported, and he was surrounded by teammates, some of them in tears, after he was hurt while tackling Bengals receiver Tee Higgins.

Hamlin was injured in the first quarter. He appeared to suffer an injury while making a hit on Higgins. Hamlin got up and remained standing for a few moments, but then collapsed without attempting to support his fall. First responders “frantically” administered CPR, according to announcer Joe Buck. He fell at 8:53 p.m. and remained down for fifteen minutes after the hit. Hamlin was given oxygen, placed on a stretcher, hooked up to an IV, and eventually carried into an ambulance.

The ambulance remained in the tunnel as Hamlin’s mother made her way down from her seat in the stands.

Hamlin has a pulse but is not breathing on his own, according to FOX19′s Joe Danneman. He required an automated external defibrillator on the field. The ambulance went to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center with a police escort. A source tells FOX19 Hamlin has been intubated and is listed in critical condition.

Hamlin’s uniform was cut off and he appeared to be getting CPR from medical personnel. ESPN reported on its telecast that Hamlin was also given oxygen. “No one’s been through this,” Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback Troy Aikman said on the ESPN telecast. “I’ve never seen anything like it, either.”

The NFL released a statement regarding Hamlin’s injury during Monday’s game:

About 100 Bills fans and a few Bengals fans gathered on a corner one block from the emergency room entrance with some of them holding candles. An ambulance was on the field four minutes after Hamlin collapsed, with many players in tears, including cornerback Tre’Davious White. The quarterbacks — Buffalo’s Josh Allen and Cincinnati’s Joe Burrow — embraced. “Please pray for our brother,” Allen tweeted.

The 24-year-old Hamlin spent five years of college at Pittsburgh — his hometown — and appeared 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.

A tweet from the Pitt football account was simple and clear: “Damar Hamlin is the best of us. We love you, 3,” the tweet said, referring to Hamlin by his college jersey number. “Praying for you.”

Arizona Cardinals players posted on Twitter saying they are praying for Hamlin and his family.

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