Buffalo Bills Safety Damar Hamlin in Critical Condition After Hit

On Monday, January 2nd, 2023, the Buffalo Bills were playing the Cincinnati Bengals on Monday Night Football. With 5:58 remaining in the first quarter, Bills' second-year safety Damar Hamlin went to make a tackle on Bengals' wide receiver, Tee Higgins.

As Hamlin got up from making the tackle, he stumbled and collapsed onto the turf. Details are finally beginning to emerge on the condition of Hamlin, who was taken the hospital just after 9PM on Monday.

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The Latest Details on the Condition of Bills' Safety Damar Hamlin

Reports from ESPN and CNN both shared updates on the condition of 24-year old Buffalo Bills' safety, Damar Hamlin. Midway through the first quarter of Monday night's game against Cincinnati, Hamlin collapsed on the field after making a tackle.

I'm not going to include any video of the play, but here's what we knew about his health at the time:

A circle of medical professionals surrounded Hamlin for a considerable amount of time as they worked to stabilize him, and access his condition. As reported by ESPN, an initial attempt to move him off of the field was unsuccessful, but on a second attempt, medical personnel were able to move him into an ambulance, which was driven onto the field.

ESPN's game broadcast told us that Damar's mom, Nina Hamlin, as well as other family members, were in attendance at the stadium, and was brought down out of the stands to join the ambulance as it left the stadium. This happened at 9:25PM.

We received an update from Jordon Rooney, who claimed to be Hamlin's friend and marketing representative, saying the following about his health:

If the source is legitimate, which he appears to be, this is an incredibly positive sign for Hamlin, and his family.

We're also beginning to get updates from medical professionals, via the Internet, on what may have happened to Damar Hamlin tonight:

Take all of this with a grain of salt, as any diagnosis given on the Internet should be taken. It all adds up, however, and based on earlier reports, it appears as though an AED was indeed used tonight, as this person asserted.

Following Hamlin's transport to the hospital, the game referees initially informed the teams that they had five minutes to begin warming up, after which play would resume. At that point, Bengals' coach Zac Taylor approached Bills' coach Sean McDermott, and the two began to talk.

Following their discussion, McDermott sent his team to the locker room, a move that was followed shortly by Taylor doing the same for his players. The coaches were "joined at the hip" in the minutes that followed, according to the ESPN game broadcast, as they spoke with game officials and league representatives over the phone in order to formulate a plan.

Then, just after 10PM EST, the NFL made this official announcement:

After that, Paycor Stadium emptied, and players were mercifully allowed to remove their gear, and leave as well.

To paraphrase ESPN broadcaster Joe Buck's comments following the postponement, the result of the game, and the teams' spots in the standings, were all meaningless right now. Yes, there are still games to play this season, and a Super Bowl to compete for, but for right now, none of that matters.

It is a truly terrifying situation that has unfolded, and for now, we can only ask that you keep Damar Hamlin, and his family, in your thoughts, and if you're so inclined, your prayers as well.

See below for photos from the immediate aftermath of the Damar Hamlin injury. More updates to come as information becomes available.