Buffalo Bills’ Damar Hamlin is checked out during the first half of an NFL football game against the Cincinnati Bengals, Monday in Cincinnati.
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Buffalo Bills’ Damar Hamlin is checked out during the first half of an NFL football game against the Cincinnati Bengals, Monday in Cincinnati.
Jeff Dean/AP
Buffalo Bills football player Tamar Hamlin was in critical condition at a Cincinnati hospital early Tuesday morning after suffering a heart attack during a game against the Cincinnati Bengals, the Bills said.
On Twitter, the Bills said Hamlin’s heart rate was restored While in the field he was transferred to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center for “further testing and treatment.” Hamlin was unconscious, the team said.
The University of Cincinnati Medical Center, the region’s only Level One trauma center, is the same facility that treated sacked Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa earlier this season after suffering a head and neck injury during a game against the Bengals.
Hamlin’s status was announced after the NFL suspended Monday night’s game between the Bills and Bengals.
Meanwhile, football fans from both teams gathered at UC Medical Center early Tuesday morning to hold a vigil for Hamlin.
In a statement from the NFL, league commissioner Roger Goodell said: “Humlin received immediate medical attention on the field by team and independent medical personnel and local paramedics. He was later transported to a local hospital in critical condition.”
“Our thoughts are with Tamar and the Buffalo Bills. We will provide more information as it becomes available,” The NFL said.
“The NFLPA and everyone in our community are praying for Tamar Hamlin,” NFL Players Association said in a statement. “We are in contact with the Bills and Bengals players, as well as the NFL. The only thing that matters at this time is Tamar’s health and well-being.”
Quarterback Joe Burrow #9 of the Cincinnati Bengals and Jordan Bowyer #21 of the Buffalo Bills take a knee following a tackle by Tamar Hamlin of the Bills during the first quarter at Baycore Stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio on January 02, 2023.
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Quarterback Joe Burrow #9 of the Cincinnati Bengals and Jordan Bowyer #21 of the Buffalo Bills take a knee following a tackle by Tamar Hamlin of the Bills during the first quarter at Baycore Stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio on January 02, 2023.
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Hamlin, 24, collapsed in the first quarter after colliding with Bengals receiver Dee Higgins. After completing a tackle on Higgins, Hamlin stood up straight, took a step forward, paused and slumped backwards.
Bills players immediately signaled to the sidelines for help from their coaching staff. Hamlin was down for 10 minutes, and medical staff appeared to give Hamlin CPR before he was carted off the field.
Both teammates gathered around him, both sides visibly nervous. The Bills team gathered in group prayer as he was led away.
Tributes have poured in from NFL players — including the Bills quarterback Josh Allen “Please pray for our brother,” he tweeted. Bills wide receiver Stefon Diggs was also seen in the hospital.
UC Hospital spokeswoman Amanda Nageleson told NPR she had no information about Hamlin or the care he was receiving. It is also not clear when hospital officials may inform the media.
No date has been announced for the resumption of play.
Hamlin is in his second year in the NFL after being drafted in 2021 in the sixth round out of the University of Pittsburgh.
