Bills Say Damar Hamlin Is Improving While Still in Critical Condition
More 220,000 people have combined to contribute more than $7 million to a GoFundMe page Hamlin created two years ago for a toy drive serving his hometown. Pritts said that the doctors relayed to Hamlin that “there are going to be a lot of toys for him to buy when he recovers from all of this.”
On Monday night, Bills players watched in horror as Hamlin, 24, laid on the field and medical staff attempted to restart his heart after he had collapsed and fell backward following a routine tackle against the Cincinnati Bengals. Hamlin remained on the field for 10 minutes before being transported to the hospital.
The game was suspended, and Bills receiver Stefon Diggs was shown in a hooded sweatshirt and sweatpants walking into the hospital. Later that night, the team flew back to Buffalo.
“I’m not a crier but I never cried so hard in my life,” Dorrian Glenn, an uncle of Hamlin’s, told reporters on Wednesday. “Just to know my nephew basically died on the field and they brought him back to life — that’s just heartbreaking.”
The Bills were back to practice again on Thursday in preparation for a game on Sunday against the New England Patriots, after holding a walk-through practice on Wednesday.
The league had still not made an official decision about whether to finish the game, which was suspended roughly nine minutes into the first quarter. Troy Vincent, the N.F.L.’s executive vice president of football operations, said it would not be resumed this week and that “everything is being considered.” The matchup had significant playoff implications in the A.F.C., and with the final week of regular-season games starting Saturday, the N.F.L. faces significant competitive questions amid Hamlin’s recovery.
Hamlin, who was selected in the sixth round of the 2021 N.F.L. draft, became a starter earlier this season when the All-Pro safety Micah Hyde sustained a neck injury. Across 15 games and 13 starts, Hamlin had 63 individual tackles — second on the team.
Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/05/sports/football/damar-hamlin-bills-week-18-patriots.html