NFL Players Return to Practice After Damar Hamlin’s Collapse

“A lot of people in this building have never seen something like that,” he said. “Ever in football. And so it’s a very freak thing. I’m not gonna sit here and say it’s not hard to push forward.”

Saquon Barkley, the Giants’ star running back, said he had been so preoccupied with Hamlin and his family’s well being that he hadn’t stopped to consider what it would be like to take a big hit the next time he played.

“Had not even crossed my mind until you guys actually brought it to my attention,” he said. “Really haven’t sat down myself and thought like, wow, like, I’m actually gonna take the field, too.”

None of the players interviewed said they were considering not playing this week. Taylor, the Cincinnati coach, said he would support any player who chose to take time off, but he said he anticipated that everyone on his team would play. Players understand that injuries are part of the game, he said.

“Players that play football know that; they know what they’re getting into,” Taylor said. “It’s a less than ideal part of the game, but it’s a known part of the game.”

Taylor, who was on the Bengals’ sideline when Hamlin collapsed, talked about the decision to suspend Monday night’s game. Though the ESPN play-by-play broadcaster Joe Buck said on television that the players would be given five minutes to warm up before resuming play, Taylor said he was never told to continue the game. The N.F.L. has also said it did not give that directive.

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/04/sports/football/damar-hamlin-nfl-players.html