The Hit Felt Around the US
Buffalo Bills’ player Damar Hamlin defies odds after
taking one of the worst hits in NFL history
D
amar Hamlin died on the football
field. He flatlined.
Before the game between the
Buffalo Bills and Cincinnati Bengals on
Monday, January 2, only two NFL players had
previously lost their heartbeat on the football
field. In 1971, Chuck Hughes died on the
field as a result of a heart attack. Almost 30
years later in 1997, Reggie Brown received
CPR on the field after suffering a major spinal
cord injury, but has now largely recovered.
In the first quarter of the game on January 2,
Hamlin, the Buffalo Bills safety wearing #3,
went into cardiac arrest after colliding with
Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins,
becoming the third player in NFL history to
flatline on the field.
But Damar Hamlin defied the odds, and
the tragedy that over 20 million people
witnessed turned into a story of triumph for
the 24 year old. After taking the hit by Tee
Higgins, Hamlin stood up and adjusted his
helmet, took a few steps forward and fell
right back to the ground. Dr. David Agus,
a medical contributor to CBS News, stated
that this case of cardiac arrest due to blunt
force trauma is “remarkably rare.” While the
hit didn’t appear to be anything out of the
ordinary for the league, Hamlin had to have
taken the hit “in the exact right spot, at the
exact right moment during his heartbeat,”
said Dr. Agus.
Less than a minute after his collapse,
Bills athletic trainer Denny Kellington
administered Hamlin with the CPR that
saved his life. His heartbeat was restored
on the field, and an ambulance transported
him, alongside his mother, Nina Hamlin,
who witnessed the tragic moment, directly
to the University of Cincinnati Medical
Center. There, he spent time in the Intensive
Care Unit and is continuing to make steady
progress in his recovery.
During the moments of intense fear as
Hamlin was being resuscitated, players from
both teams bowed their heads, prayed and
shed tears for their teammate and opponent.
Most of the athletes and coaches on the field
felt an emotional pain that is so rare, yet so
debilitating, for the first time ever.
After the incident, both the Bengals
and the Bills were having a difficult time
processing what they had just witnessed, and
the stadium was overwhelmed with emotion.
After some discussion with game officials
and each other, both teams quickly decided
that out of care and respect for Hamlin, they
would postpone the game. Neither team felt
that they could or should continue the game
after Damar Hamlin fell lifeless on the field.
Graphics & Design | Lydia Kampe
by LYDIAKAMPE | Editor in Chief
Josh Allen, the quarterback for the Buffalo
photos/JEFF DEAN/AP
Bills, felt feelings like never before in the first
game back after the postponed game against
the Bengals was officially canceled. Playing
against the New England Patriots, running
back Nyheim Hines made the first play of
the game, and it practically brought tears to
Allen’s eyes. Hines received a 96-yard kickoff
from Patriots kicker Stephen Gostkowski, and
he carried the ball 96 yards down the field for
a touchdown. According to the NFL, Allen
told reporters “I can’t remember a play that
touched me like that, I don’t think in my life.”
Just a few days prior, Hamlin began to SILENCE: Josh Allen bows his head
wake up. He was unable to speak right away, as he takes in the situation. Behind
but he managed to write a note to the doctors him, medical staff perform CPR
on Hamlin that ultimately ends up
on a piece of paper.
saving his life.
“Did we win?” Hamlin asked about the
game during which he collapsed. Dr. Timothy
Pritts at the UC Medical Center responded by
saying “The answer is yes, Damar, you won.
You’ve won the game of life.” Coaches, players
and fans rejoiced at the news of Hamlin’s
responsiveness and smiled at the clever reply
of the doctors.
While that news was a relief to everyone
anxiously awaiting an update, it’s still
important to step back and re-evaluate the
safety of the sport. The average number of
annual NFL missed-time injuries sits around
3,000. Hamlin’s is the most serious injury
audiences have seen in nearly 2.5 decades,
COMFORT IN THE TEAM: Siran Neal
so the severity has widely raised alarm. At (left) and Nyheim Hines (right) share
the end of the season, the NFL will proceed a moment of comfort after Hamlin
with their annual review of injury footages collapses on the field. Hines goes on to
and revising of rules as a result. Hamlin’s hit score a 96 yard touchdown at the start
with Higgins was completely legal and doesn’t of the next game. He does it for Damar.
appear out of the norm, so it’s likely that little
change will be made as a result of that specific
incident. As Dr. Agus mentioned, Damar
Hamlin was extremely unlucky.
In the game against the P​​atriots during
which Hines made that emotional play, Bills
players wore #3 patches on their jerseys in
honor of their teammate, Damar Hamlin. A
GoFundMe page has raised over $8 million
to support Damar Hamlin’s toy charity for
children, and Hamlin’s jersey has become
the most sold jersey on Fanatics. The brand
stated that all proceeds from those jersey
purchases are going towards Hamlin’s charity
as well. For the rest of the season, fans will be
cheering for more than just their teams, and
players will be playing for something bigger
than just themselves.
FOR THEIR BROTHER: Damar Hamlin sports the jersey
#3, and after his collapse in the game against the
Bengals, the Bills players wore #3 patches on their
jerseies in their big 35-23 win against the Patriots.
photo/ISAIAH VAZQUEZ/getty images
@GFMEDIAGROUP // January 2023 | 19