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The NFL said the Bills and Bengals game, which was suspended when Damar Hamlin collapsed after suffering cardiac arrest after a hit, will not resume until Jan. 8.
The league posted what happened to Hamlin on its Twitter page on Tuesday afternoon.
“The NFL remains in regular contact with the medical team caring for Damar Hamlin, as well as with the Bills and Bengals organizations and the NFL Players Association. After discussions with both teams and NFLPA leadership, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell today informed clubs that the Bills-Bengals game will not resume this week. The NFL has not made a decision regarding a possible resumption of play at a later date,” the tweet read in part.
For now, the league has not changed the regular week 18 season schedule.
Bill’s safety, 24, is sedated and will be treated at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center after Monday’s game.
Hamlin suddenly collapsed after attacking Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins, ending the game.
Medical personnel rushed to him within 10 seconds and performed CPR.
The Buffalo Bills’ Damar Hamlin is examined during the first half of an NFL football game against the Cincinnati Bengals Monday, January 2, 2023 in Cincinnati. The game was postponed after Buffalo Bills’ Damar Hamlin collapsed, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell announced. (AP Photo/Joshua A. Bickel)
The Bills later confirmed that Hamlin’s heartbeat was restored on the field.
But what do local people in Southwest Florida think of what they saw when Hamlin collapsed?
Normally when someone gets hurt they fall to the ground and stay put, but that wasn’t the case with Hamlin.
After making the tackle, Hamlin stood and collapsed, silencing all of the 65,515 seats at Paycor Stadium.
Hamlin received attention from the first responders on duty within seconds.
The players on both teams watched in dismay. Fear and unrest permeated the stadium as fans watched in utter stunnement as the moments dragged on.
Buffalo Bills players pray for teammate Damar Hamlin during the first half of an NFL football game against the Cincinnati Bengals Monday, January 2, 2023, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Jeff Dean)
“The players were obviously more distressed than I’ve ever seen a player affected by other serious injuries that I was involved with on the field,” said Jeff Rice, an NFL umpire for 25 years.
Rice, who has served as an official in three Super Bowls, has seen serious injuries on the field before, but not like Hamlin.
“If the injury is serious, our protocol is to take the players away so the medical staff have room to work. And if we have to haul them away on a cart or truck, we want to be sure they can get on and off quickly,” Rice said.
Instead, the players surrounded Hamlin and the first responders, who briefed Rice on the severity of what was happening.
“That was an indication to me that this wasn’t your normal serious injury. That this was a life-threatening thing,” Rice said.
Buffalo Bills players react as teammate Damar Hamlin is examined during the first half of an NFL football game against the Cincinnati Bengals Monday, January 2, 2023 in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Jeff Dean)
Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin said Tuesday he has known Hamlin, who is from Pittsburgh, since he was 12 years old.
Tomlin stated he appreciates how he’s grown as a football player and as a man.
“Watching them mature, see them develop, see them earn what they’ve been chasing is just a really cool thing. He is an example. I have a lot of love for this young man,” Tomlin said.
Tomlin called what happened to Hamlin “really personal” and that many players, both active and retired, feel the same way.
Hamlin remains in intensive care and is in critical condition.
His family released a statement thanking everyone for their prayers.
From a medical perspective, sudden cardiac arrest occurs when an electrical malfunction in the heart causes an irregular heartbeat, also known as an arrhythmia.
Cardiac arrest means the heart has stopped pumping and can be caused by a variety of reasons.
Still, everything points to the blow Damar Hamlin suffered just before collapsing.
Hamlin got up after attacking Higgins, then collapsed.
Richard Chazal, a Lee Health cardiologist, saw the game and the treatment Hamlin was getting and thought it was the right call.
“So the most important thing in cardiac arrest is rapid CPR and immediate defibrillation. This means shocking the heart to get it back to a normal rhythm. So it’s pumping again, and they had experts who were right there who used an AED or an automated external defibrillator,” said Dr. Chazal. “As far as we know, we believe it was an ad that shot his heart and got it back. And that’s a really good sign in the long run. Because the sooner this regular rhythm is restored and the heart pumps again, the better the prognosis. It hopefully means a minimal amount of time the brain is deprived of oxygen.”
While what happened to Hamlin is extremely rare, according to Dr. Chazal, a well-timed blow to the chest can disrupt the heart’s rhythm, causing it to beat irregularly and then stop.
Another point to keep in mind was that people were confused by Hamlin’s ability to stand briefly before collapsing.
dr Chazal said the injury had already occurred and it was possible his heart had already stopped.
“Remember, this is a well-conditioned athlete whose normal heart rate is probably very low because his body is extremely capable. He had a lot of epinephrine because he was excited,” said Dr. Chazal. “So it’s conceivable and probable that maybe his heart wasn’t beating when he got up. And it was only a moment before that drop in blood pressure hit his brain and caused him to pass out.”
It’s also important to note that as an NFL player, he underwent screening to ensure he had no discernible heart defects.
And if there was a predisposition that contributed to Hamlin’s injury, the doctors couldn’t tell beforehand.
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