Bills Safety Damar Hamlin Receives Support From Sports World After Collapse Vs. Bengals

Monday Night Football took a scary turn midway through the first quarter when Bills safety Damar Hamlin collapsed after making a tackle against the Cincinnati Bengals. Hamlin received roughly 10 minutes of CPR and was later trasferred to a nearby hospital where he remains in critical condition.
Players from both sidelines were visibly shaken by the event and remained emotional while Hamlin underwent medical evaluations.
Man, the players’ faces say it all. This is so awful. — Mina Kimes (@minakimes) January 3, 2023
His collapse — and the reactions of players and fans immediately after — evoked emotion around the league with fellow players tweeting messages of support for Hamlin, his family, the Bills organization and the entire medical staff.
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Praying for Damar Hamlin and his family. 🙏 — Mac Jones (@MacJones_10) January 3, 2023
I wanna send a prayer to Damar and his family . 🙏🏽 — Ja’MarrChase (@Real10jayy__) January 3, 2023
Please be ok man. Please be ok. — JJ Watt (@JJWatt) January 3, 2023
Others sent their support to Tee Higgins, the 23-year-old Bengals wide receiver involved in the player directly prior to Hamlin’s collapse.
While you pray for Damar say one for Tee Higgins too. Just being involved in the play can wreck your mentals and emotions. Pray for them all. — Allan Bell (@AllanBell247) January 3, 2023
It also called to mind past medical emergencies in sports, such as Ryan Shazier’s spinal contusion during a Monday Night Football matchup in 2017.
Prayers for Hamlin 🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽 i hope everything is okay. — Ryan Shazier (@RyanShazier) January 3, 2023
For Damar Hamlin you take some hope from Fabrice Muamba, from Christian Eriksen, but this is utterly terrifying.
Forget sport, humanity is what matters, let his team mates go to the hospital to be with their team mate, and call the game NFL. — Will Gavin (@WillGav) January 3, 2023
The impact and outpouring of emotions following Hamlin’s collapse stretched well beyond the Paycor Stadium.
“The safety of players in all sports is always the most important.” LeBron James on Damar Hamlin. pic.twitter.com/JUIBIUCHRF — Spectrum SportsNet (@SpectrumSN) January 3, 2023
Praying for you kid!!!🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾 https://t.co/cC3ZsnpsjR — LeBron James (@KingJames) January 3, 2023
CALL THE GAME GOODELL — Bryson Stott (@bryson_stott10) January 3, 2023
Praying hard for Damar and his family right now… 🙏🏾 — Chris Paul (@CP3) January 3, 2023
Monday Night Football called off after player, Damar Hamlin required CPR after a massive hit to the chest.
One of the most gut wrenching moments I’ve ever seen on the sporting field.
Players, coaches, fans and commentators left stunned. — Shane McInnes (@shanemcinnes) January 3, 2023
In spite of the emotional and scary circumstances, pundits and analysts were generally lauded for their empathetic and touching response.
incredibly well-stated and poignant reaction shared by @Realrclark25 moments agopic.twitter.com/yTmv7uxgr8 — Warren Sharp (@SharpFootball) January 3, 2023
Booger McFarland has been put in an impossible position on ESPN and has handled it with incredible grace. — Bruce Nolan (@BruceExclusive) January 3, 2023
However, there was some controversy surrounding the decision whether or not to resume the game. Play was initially suspended temporarily — with some reports claiming that the NFL told the teams they had five minutes to regroup before resuming play — before eventually being postponed indefinitely. Many questioned the league and those who seemed to prioritize the completion of the game.
The timeline of this is going to look brutal. Especially when it comes out who suggested that the players “get five minutes to warm up.”
If decision makers can’t think for themselves in the moment, think about how it will look when it all comes out. — Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) January 3, 2023
Twitter is not the place to argue about this. In my opinion, the NFL should suspend this game. — David Aldridge (@davidaldridgedc) January 3, 2023
At the center of this controversy was Skip Bayless, co-host of “Skip and Shannon: Undisputed.” Bayless was on the receiving end of a number of players’ backlash for a tweet that focused on the “magnitude” of this game for the regular-season standings. He later issued a second tweet clarifying his initial sentiments.
Bro you out of line for this let’s pray he make it to see his family in good health nobody cares about anything but his well being https://t.co/UAmS1micCV — Eddie Jackson (@BoJack4) January 3, 2023
Are you seriously talking about when the football game should be postponed? Damar Hamlin’s health is ALL that matters at the moment! Nothing else!!! https://t.co/LNlbJLx1pY — SAUCE (@iamSauceGardner) January 3, 2023