CNN
—
Just four days after his incredible cardiac arrest on the field, Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin is breathe on its own and talking to family, doctors and teammates — positive updates that Bills players say will strengthen them in this weekend’s game against the New England Patriots.
Hearing him speak to us was all, and that’s what we needed. That’s literally all we needed,” Bills offensive tackle Dion Dawkins said of the team’s video call Friday with Hamlin, who is still undergoing treatment at a Cincinnati hospital.
Hamlin – who was sedated and placed on a ventilator after his collapse on Monday – began waking up at the weekend and was able to have his breathing tube removed by Friday morning, doctors said.
“I love you boys,” the 24-year-old told his team Friday via FaceTime, according to head coach Sean McDermott, who added that Hamlin flexed his arms and made his in-form hand gesture of heart when calling.
Since collapsing during the “Monday Night Football” game between the Bills and the Cincinnati Bengals, Hamlin “continues to make remarkable progress in his recovery” and “his neurological function remains intact”, the Bills tweeted Friday, citing his doctors.
Dawkins described this week’s emotional “roller coaster” for the team – who watched in shock as Hamlin received CPR on the pitch and was transported from the stadium in an ambulance. But he said news of Hamlin’s significant improvement “will definitely fuel us” in the team’s Sunday showdown against the Patriots.
“The excitement was beautiful, it was amazing,” he said of the call with Hamlin. “It gave us so much energy, so much good humor – whatever you want to call it – it gave us to see that boy’s face.”
Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown said Hamlin’s continued recovery is “uplifting news” for the city of Buffalo, which has recently been hit by several tragedies, including a racist mass shooting and a brutal blizzard that left at least 41 dead in Erie County.
“What happened to Damar Hamlin, his injury, was another blow to the city of Buffalo and to see him recover so remarkably certainly lifts the spirits throughout our community and across the country,” Brown told CNN’s Kate Balduan on Friday.
After millions watched Hamlin’s emergency game live, an outpouring of support emerged from fans and strangers across the country, many of whom bought his jersey or donated to his foundation charitable fund, which topped $8 million raised on Saturday morning. NFL teams also rallied behind the Bills player by wearing his number 3, lighting up stadiums and scoreboards and sharing words of solidarity.
The demonstrations of support will continue this weekend as the league prepares for an emotional return to competition for the final games of the regular season on Saturday and Sunday. The NFL plans to honor Hamlin before every game.
The NFL announced Thursday that the Bills-Bengals game – originally postponed Monday night – will not be resumed or made up.
The cancellation will have no effect on teams that qualify for the playoffs, as the Bills and Bengals have already secured berths. But the imbalance in the number of games played prompted the league to approve old times for the playoffs depending on the top seed of the Bills and Bengals and their potential opponents.
As players head into the final week of the regular season, the NFL has announced several ways teams can honor Hamlin ahead of this weekend’s matchups, including hosting a “moment of support” before games or by outlining the “3” on the 30-yard line in the Bills’ red or blue colors.
Players also have the option of wearing jerseys emblazoned with “Love for Damar 3” during warm-ups and the Bills will wear “3” patches on their jerseys, the NFL said.
Bills general manager Brandon Beane — who stayed in Cincinnati after the game was postponed to be with Hamlin and his family — praised the unified message of support across the league this week, noting how typically competitive the sport is. .
“Yeah, we’re going to fight. But at the end of the day, life is battle number one,” Beane said on Friday. And to see that the unity of players, coaches (general managers), owners, fans, is unprecedented. But I think it’s a good light. He sheds a great light on the NFL. The NFL is truly a family.
The NFL Players Association named Hamlin its Week 18 Community MVP, announcing that the organization will donate $10,000 to its Chasing M’s Foundation.
Philadelphia Eagles running back Miles Sanders said he was able to video chat with Hamlin, telling him, “You know you’re the most famous person in the world right now?”
Hamlin replied, “But not for the right reasons,” according to Sanders, who told Hamlin, “You are blessed brother, you don’t know how blessed you are.”
Sanders describes Hamlin as his best friend and said the two talk to each other after every game, according to James Palmer, NFL Network Reporter.
0 Comments