Buffalo Bills defensive back Damar Hamlin had a heart attack after a tackle in the game that was postponed indefinitely on Monday Night Football, according to the Bills, and remained in critical condition on Tuesday.
Hamlin passed out on the field during the first quarter of the nationally televised matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals. About 20 minutes passed while he was receiving medical care before being taken to the hospital.
He was transferred to the UC Medical Center for further assessment and treatment after his heartbeat was restored on the field, according to a statement the Bills issued early on Tuesday morning.
Later on Tuesday, the Bills released a statement saying that Hamlin "spent last night in the critical care unit and remains there today in severe condition at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center."
According to Jordan Rooney, a family representative who claimed to be a close friend of the athlete, Hamlin's family members are in good spirits but are going through a lot and deserve their privacy. On Tuesday's edition of "Good Morning America'' on ABC, Rooney made this statement.
Hamlin's family also thanked the public and his teammates in a statement for their help.
After exiting the stadium, he was taken to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center, where they were delighted with the care he was receiving.
He hurt himself while colliding with Bengals receiver Tee Higgins on a routine play that didn't seem to be especially forceful.
The NFL released a statement on Hamlin's condition soon after he was sent to the hospital, but neither the organization nor the facility offered any other details regarding his 24-year-old health. Old's
Before the plane's early Tuesday return to Buffalo, the message from the team was made public.
The NFL announced on Tuesday that the Bills-Bengals game would not be played this week and that no decision had been made on the game's future.
Before being taken by ambulance to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center, Hamlin was treated on the field by the team, outside medical personnel, and local paramedics.
According to Jeff Miller, an executive vice president of the league, the NFL does not currently have plans to play the game, and the league's priority is Hamlin's health.
As other players, including quarterbacks Josh Allen of Buffalo and Joe Burrow of Cincinnati, embraced one another, an ambulance came four minutes after Hamlin collapsed.
When Hamlin was taken off the field 19 minutes after falling at 8:55 p.m., which seemed like an eternity, the Bills gathered in prayer.
To wait for updates on Hamlin and the game, the players carefully trickled off the field and into their locker rooms after the ambulance departed the field.
"I've never seen anything like it while I was playing," NFL executive Troy Vincent, a six-time Pro Bowl cornerback in his career, said on the conference call early on Tuesday morning.
Vincent said that despite the league's proclamation that the game will restart after a five-minute warmup period, ESPN's commentators took no action to do so.
Vincent said that the Bills will be arriving at the club facility in Orchard Park, New York, early on Tuesday morning, except a few players who stayed behind with Hamlin.
There were numerous cops there as the crew touched down at Buffalo Niagara International Airport at about 2:45 a.m. A small crowd of onlookers gathered across the street from the players' parking area near the airport.
The Bengals led 7-3 in the first quarter of a game between teams competing for the top AFC playoff berth.
The NFLPA issued a statement in which they expressed their community's prayers for Damar Hamlin.
"We have had conversations with players for the Bengals, Bills, and NFL.
After completing a tackle on the first kickoff of the second half in Buffalo's 2007 season opener against the Denver Broncos, tight end Kevin Everett lay motionless on the ground.
