UPDATE: Damar Hamlin Released from Hospital and Returns to Buffalo
UPDATE 01/09/2023 4PM EST Damar Hamlin has been released from the hospital. The Buffalo Bills’ safety returned to Buffalo on
Victoria Liotta
UPDATE 01/09/2023 4PM EST
Damar Hamlin has been released from the hospital. The Buffalo Bills’ safety returned to Buffalo on a flight early Monday, according to doctors at a press conference.
Hamlin’s medical team in Cincinnati said they were “ecstatic” with his progress, and he will continue to be under the care of a team of doctors now that he has returned to Buffalo.
While he isn’t completely out of the woods yet, it’s exactly the kind of update fans have been hoping they would hear for days.
UPDATE 01/05/2023 1PM EST
The Buffalo Bills have released an update on the condition of their safety, Damar Hamlin, as he continues to fight for his life in the ICU.
The Bills said of Hamlin, “Per the physicians caring for Damar Hamlin at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center, Damar has shown remarkable improvement over the past 24 hours. While still critically ill, he has demonstrated that he appears to be neurologically intact. His lungs continue to heal and he is making steady progress. We are grateful for the love and support we have received.”
“Neurologically intact” means that Hamlin didn’t suffer irrevocably damage to his nervous system from the cardiac arrest and 9 minutes of CPR.
Hamlin still has a long way to go, but remaining neurologically intact is a good sign for a steady recovery.
Original story continues below:
Monday night’s NFL game between the Buffalo Bills and the Cincinnati Bengals has been postponed after the New York team’s defensive player, Damar Hamlin, collapsed on the field. The 24-year-old safety has been with the Bills for two years, playing every game this season. He fell on his back just moments after standing up from a tackle by Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins and remained unresponsive for over 9 minutes before being taken off the field in an ambulance.
The game was suspended at 5:58 of the first quarter. And, later became postponed entirely. Coy Wire, a former Buffalo Bills safety (2002-2007) and a current CNN Sports Anchor emphasized the postponing of the game saying, ““Seeing those images scratched open a lot of mental wounds for me personally. I played six of my NFL seasons there, in Buffalo, in that stadium. I played the same position. I played safety there. I’ve experienced injury, loss of consciousness … I’ve been in situations where an ambulance has come on the field, so it resonates.” Continuing to share, “In both of those games, ambulances came to the field, there were players huddled, there were tears, there was crying – just like we saw last night. But those games went on. The one last night did not. I think that’s a huge statement that’s being made.”
“This was a big step to do this. It’s showing that there has been a paradigm shift, and that player safety is truly important, more important than the game that we play,” Wire told CNN.
Prayers For Demar Hamlin
❤️💙 pic.twitter.com/yTZzQs0QAp
— Buffalo Bills (@BuffaloBills) January 3, 2023
The entire family of the NFL and Hamlin are saying their prayers right now for the recovery of the young athlete. The NFL shared a statement on Twitter, “Hamlin received immediate medical attention on the field by team and independent medical staff and local paramedics. He was then transported to a local hospital where he is in critical condition.
Our thoughts are with Damar and the Buffalo Bills.”
The NFL Players Association tweeted Monday night that the organization and “everyone in our community is praying for Damar Hamlin.”
“We have been in touch with Bills and Bengals players, and with the NFL. The only thing that matters at this moment is Damar’s health and well being,” the Players Association continued.
Both fans of the game and speakers of the network have shared their concerns given the rareness of something as intense and serious as Hamlin’s positioning.
JJ Watt, an Arizona Cardinals defensive end, tweeted, “The game is not important. Damar Hamlin’s life is important. Please be ok. Please.”
The Bengals tweeted that they are “sending our thoughts and prayers to Damar.”
What We Know So Far
- In the first quarter of the game, Higgins tackled Hamlin.
- Almost immediately after getting up from the tackle, the Bill’s defensive player collapsed to the ground (at 8:55 p.m.).
- Medical personnel performed AED and CPR on Hamlin twice however he stayed unresponsive for over 9 minutes.
- Hamlin was taken off the field by an ambulance at 9:25 p.m. and brought to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center- the region’s only hospital with an adult level 1 trauma center.
- His family was in the stands and went in the ambulance with him.
- Jordan Rooney, who identifies himself as Hamlin’s marketing representative, shared an update to Twitter that Hamlines, “vitals are back to normal and they have put him to sleep to put a breathing tube down his throat.”
As the story develops we will add updates. In the meantime, our thoughts and prayers are with Damar Hamlin, his family, and the Buffalo Bills.
Update:
At 1:48 a.m. on Tuesday, January 3 the Buffalo Bills shared this update:
“Damar Hamlin suffered a cardiac arrest following a hit in the Buffalo Bills’ game versus the Cincinnati Bengals. His heartbeat was restored on the field and he was transferred to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center for further testing and treatment. He is currently sedated and listed in critical condition.”