The 24-year-old NFL star is able to communicate.
Monday night’s football game between the Buffalo Bills and the Cincinnati Bengals came to a jarring halt when the Bills’ safety Damar Hamlin collapsed on the field. But after days of agonizing over his condition, fans got good news on Thursday: Hamlin is awake and able to communicate. Read on for details on how this accident occurred and what the response has been like since.
Why did Damar Hamlin collapse?
It was the first quarter and Hamlin, 24, had just made a hit on Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins. He stood up after the open-field tackle and just moments later, fell backward. Within five minutes an ambulance was on the field, and medics administered CPR before taking Hamlin to a Cincinnati hospital.
The game was suspended immediately and then postponed (on the night of Jan. 5, the NFL said that it will not be completed). The players, who were visibly distressed, returned to their locker rooms. Many had been crying, and some took a knee on the field before they left.
It’s been confirmed that Hamlin experienced a cardiac arrest but the cause is still unknown. It’s not yet clear what exactly caused the 24-year-old’s heart to stop, but some medical experts believe an extremely rare phenomenon known as commotio cordis could be to blame.
Damar Hamlin’s doctors provide an update
On Thursday, the doctors treating Hamlin said at a news conference he was awake and, crucially, that his neurological function appeared intact. He remains on a breathing tube and is unable to speak, but has been able to communicate through writing. Doctors said the first question he asked upon gaining consciousness was “Did we win?”
They told him: “Yes, Damar, you won. You won the game of life.”
Hamlin will remain in the intensive care unit, but the physicians called the past 24 hours a “good turning point.” Hamlin suffered cardiac arrest and was listed in “critical condition” earlier this week. His doctors characterized his injury as “rare” and credited the excellent emergency medical care he received on the field with saving his life.
The response
Former NFL player Ephraim Salaam shared some insight as to how the other players must be feeling right now, telling CNN’s John Berman: “You could see that they were visibly bothered by what was going on on both teams. And I believe it was that reaction from the players that spurred others to realize that this game couldn’t possibly go on.”
“The type of trauma and PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) that comes with watching one of your brothers go down like this and fight for his life live on television,” he added. “Those are the types of things that you just can’t shake off in 20 minutes and get back to playing.”
Salaam stressed the importance of the game’s postponement for the sake of the players’ mental health, explaining: “It is not just about the physical injuries we witness. It is about the mental health. Dealing with the trauma after witnessing something like the Hamlin injury.”
CNN Sports Correspondent and former NFL player Coy Wire said that the game’s postponement marked an improvement in attitudes toward player safety.
“A year ago, five years ago, certainly not 10 years ago, they would not have stopped the game,” he said. “We’re not seeing that right now…there’s been a paradigm shift in terms of player health and safety and how precious our lives are. And that the game is not worth it in the end when it comes to serious issues like this.”
Tributes have poured in from sports stars, celebrities, and politicians alike.
Ohio Governor Mike DeWine tweeted: “Fran and I offer our prayers for Damar Hamlin. We join everyone in Cincinnati and across this country in praying for this young athlete.”
Basketball legend Lebron James tweeted “praying for you kid,” and shared a video of Hamlin hugging loved ones before the game.
A GoFundMe page Hamlin started in 2020 to help raise money to buy toys for kids in need has received millions of dollars worth of donations overnight. Having received $2,921 in donations between December 2020 and December 2022, the tally has now surpassed $7 million.
“As I embark on my journey to the NFL, I will never forget where I come from and I am committed to using my platform to positively impact the community that raised me,” Hamlin wrote in 2020. “I created The Chasing M’s Foundation as a vehicle that will allow me to deliver that impact, and the first program is the 2020 Community Toy Drive.”
