Written by WCPO’s Taylor Weiter and Christian LeDuc
Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin has shown “remarkable improvement over the past 24 hours,” the Buffalo Bills said in a tweet.
According to the team, doctors at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center said he is still in critical condition, but he has demonstrated that he appears to be “neurologically intact.”
Hamlin has been in UC Medical Center’s intensive care unit after going into cardiac arrest during Monday night’s game against the Cincinnati Bengals.
Bills cornerback Kaiir Elam also tweeted that Damar was “awake.”
According to ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter, Hamlin’s father addressed the entire Bills team on a zoom call Wednesday to personally update everyone on his son’s condition. He told the team that he’s making progress.
Hamlin’s uncle, Dorrian Glenn, provided a similar update in an interview with ESPN Tuesday night.
“It seems like he’s trending upwards in a positive way and we’re thanking God for that,” Glenn said.
Glenn said Hamlin was resuscitated twice, once on the field and again when he got to the hospital. The 24-year-old remains sedated on a ventilator as he continues to recover. Glenn said to multiple reporters that Hamlin was placed on his stomach to help take pressure off his lungs.
Glenn also told ESPN reporter Cameron Wolfe that his nephew has improved from needing 100% oxygen while on the ventilator to only needing 50%.
“I know he’s still here, and I know he’s fighting,” Glenn said.
Hamlin attempted to tackle Tee Higgins in the middle of the field during the first quarter of the game. He stood up after the hit, but then immediately fell to the ground.
Buffalo’s medical staff immediately began providing aid as an ambulance drove onto the field. Broadcasters reported that medics were doing CPR, while a WCPO reporter at the scene said a defibrillator was also seen being used.
The game has been indefinitely postponed, and the NFL announced on Tuesday that it would not be played this week.
Players from both teams huddled around the medical staff, some kneeling and some holding hands. The Bills posted on social, “Bills Mafia is with you, @HamlinIsland,” while the Bengals tweeted, “Sending our thoughts and prayers to Damar🙏”
“Last night was supposed to be a great night for the NFL and a great showcase of our hometown. Instead, the human side of our sport became paramount and, in that moment, humanity and love rose to the forefront,” Bengals President Mike Brown said in a statement.
“As medical personnel undertook extraordinary measures, both teams demonstrated respect and compassion while fans in the stadium and people around the country bolstered the support for Damar and love for each other,” Brown said.
Hamlin was down on the field for at least 10 minutes. He was eventually placed inside the ambulance and taken out of Paycor Stadium. Broadcasters on ESPN said he was hooked up to oxygen.
Reporters at the scene said Hamlin’s family was at the game and his mother was in the ambulance as he was taken to UC Medical Center. Glenn said his father, who was also at the game, drove to the hospital to meet them. Several additional family members, including Hamlin’s 7-year-old brother, drove to Cincinnati from Pittsburgh as soon as they witnessed what happened on TV.
In a statement, Hamlin’s family said in part, “We want to express our sincere gratitude for the love and support shown to Damar during this challenging time. We are deeply moved by the prayers, kind words and donations from fans around the country.”
The family also thanked first responders and the health care professionals at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center who have “provided exceptional care to Damar.”
Niagara Falls was illuminated in blue Tuesday night in support of Damar Hamlin, the Buffalo Bills and the City of Buffalo, Niagara Parks said in a tweet.
Hamlin is a Pittsburgh native who graduated from the University of Pittsburgh. He was drafted by the Bills in the sixth round of the 2021 draft.
League leaders discussed their decision not to continue the game on a conference call with reporters early Tuesday morning.
Jeff Miller, an NFL executive vice president said that the league had made no plans to continue playing the game.
“I’ve never seen anything like it since I was playing,” NFL executive Troy Vincent, a six-time Pro Bowl cornerback during his career, said on the call. “Immediately, my player hat went on, like, how do you resume playing after seeing a traumatic event in front of you?”
Vincent said the league took no steps toward restarting the game and did not ask players to begin a five-minute warmup period as ESPN’s broadcasters had announced, according to the Associated Press.
“It never crossed our mind to talk about warming up to resume play,” Vincent said. “That’s ridiculous. That’s insensitive. That’s not a place we should ever be in.”
Head coaches Zac Taylor and Sean McDermott met after Hamlin was taken away by ambulance and brought both of their teams back to their locker rooms. They were seen in the tunnel between locker rooms meeting with the game officials and passing a phone to each other. Shortly after that phone call, the league announced play was to be suspended indefinitely. Sports anchor Marshall Kramsky said Joe Burrow and his fellow Bengals players left their locker room and walked into the Bills locker room before the game was officially suspended.
The Bills left Cincinnati Monday night to return home to Buffalo.
While there is a game scheduled against the New England Patriots Sunday, offensive tackle Dion Dawkins said in an interview with ESPN the team is prioritizing Hamlin.
“Anything we have to give is for Damar and his family,” Dawkins said. “We understand that we have a job … but every emotion, every bit of energy that we have, we’re giving it to Damar.”