The Bengals and Bills were scheduled to go head-to-head for Monday night football on January 2, 2023. About 90 minutes after kickoff, the safety for the Buffalo Bills, Damar Hamlin, collapsed. Hamlin collapsed after he tackled number 85, Tee Higgins. After the tackle, Hamlin appeared to be okay, but as soon as he got up, he fell back to the ground. Millions of viewers watched, horrified as he collapsed and laid unresponsive on the field.
Hamlin received immediate medical attention. When the medical professionals attended to him, they quickly realized that he was not breathing. Once they realized this, they started to perform CPR and continued CPR for the next ten minutes. Hamlin's heart rate was revived on the field. He was then taken out by ambulance and transported to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center. The 24-year-old athlete was in critical condition while fans around the world wondered what had happened during what was supposed to be a typical Monday night football game.
Every player was brought to tears by this traumatic scene. Soon after the ambulance took off with Hamlin, both teams were brought back to the locker room to discuss whether or not to continue the game. After a detailed discussion with both teams, they agreed to postpone the game. The NFL did not provide an update as to whether they were going to reschedule the game.
By January 5th, Hamlin had made some improvements. He was awake and holding hands with his loved ones. The medical team at Cincinnati Medical Center performed a neurological test to ensure there were no neurological deficits. The result came back, and luckily everything was as it should be. On January 9th, Damar Hamlin was released from the University of Cincinnati Medical Center and continued his journey back to Buffalo. His recovery is still ongoing and it may be some time before he is fully healed. The doctors stated that it is a long road, a lot of recovery time, and a lot of physical therapy. However, the doctors treating him state that they are thrilled at how Hamlin is recovering.
On January 22, 2023, the Bengals and Bills went head to head for the second time. The Bengals won 27-10. During Super Bowl 57 was held on February 12, 2023 in a special ceremony during the pregame, the NFL honored Damar Hamlin and all of the medical professionals who took care of him on January 2, 2023. Hamlin announced that he believes that he is going to play professional football again but it will be a long time before he steps on the field again. Doctors have not yet confirmed when Hamlin will be able to play again. We all wish him well in his recovery and hope to see him playing again next season.
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