Monday night’s NFL game between the Buffalo Bills and Cincinnati Bengals came to a grinding halt after Bills safety Damar Hamlin collapsed on the field. Mid-way through the first quarter, Damar, 24, tackled Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins, but upon rising up from the hit, he fell to the ground, as reported by ESPN.
Bills safety Damar Hamlin remained down on the field after a scary hit.
According to the broadcast, medical personnel have administered CPR. pic.twitter.com/JKCWmfzaLT
— ESPN (@espn) January 3, 2023
Medical personnel rushed to the field and he was taken away from Cincinnati’s Paycor Stadium in an ambulance. He was administered CPR on the field for several minutes, before being given oxygen and taken to the hospital. Game play was suspended for over 30 min before the game was officially canceled at 10pm EST.
While we wait to learn how the pro football player is doing, here are five things to know about Damar Hamlin.
1. He collapsed after a major block
Damar fell after tackling wide receiver Tee Higgins, with 5:38 remaining in the first quarter. Though he initially seemed to be fine, he then collapsed to the turf unconscious.
He was down on the field for over 9 minutes before being taken to the hospital around 9:25 EST. He was reportedly administered oxygen and CPR on the field, before being transferred to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center, in the level 1 trauma center, per Twitter.
2. His team and family are supporting him
After the incident, his family came down from the stands to be with him on the field, according to ABC. Following his collapse, Bills coach Sean McDermott, quarterback Josh Allen and wide receiver Stefon Diggs appeared tearful as they waited for updates.
3. He was in his second year of pro football
Demar was drafted by the Buffalo Bills in the sixth round, 212th overall, of the 2021 NFL Draft. He signed his four-year rookie contract with Buffalo on May 21, 2021.
4. He was having a strong season
After playing a reserve role his rookie season, Damar became one of the Bills’ starting safeties after Micah Hyde suffered a season-ending neck injury in week 2. This season he’d played 16 games, recorded 91 tackles, and 1.5 sacks.
5. He grew up playing in Pennsylvania
Dama grew up in McKees Rocks, Pennsylvania, and attended Pittsburgh Central Catholic. During his high school career, he was named first-team All-State and the Class AAAA Defensive Player of the Year.
He went on to play for University of Pittsburgh, where as a late-debuting freshman player recorded 41 tackles with one interception in nine games played. He was named a team captain going into his final season.
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