Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin is reportedly in critical condition at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center after collapsing on the field during the team’s Monday Night Football game against the Bengals. Play did not resume after the incident and the game was later postponed.
Hamlin collapsed after a play in the first quarter, when the safety brought down Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins, who was running at full speed and appeared to hit him in the chest and head. Hamlin got up and took a few steps before going limp and falling back to the ground.
Medical personnel on the sidelines reached Hamlin seconds after he fell and administered CPR for at least eight minutes. Players from both teams lingered on the field after the play and many Bills players formed a tight circle around their teammate, barring cameras from capturing medical staff tending to Hamlin on the ground. Players on both sides were visibly shaken and some dropped to their knees in prayer.
An ambulance eventually came on to the field to retrieve Hamlin, and despite an initial agreement to resume play after a warmup, coaches and players agreed to temporarily suspend play. The NFL formally suspended the game more than an hour later.
Hamlin was taken to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center, a Level 1 trauma center. Initial reports indicated that he was unable to breathe on his own, and a source close to him later reported that hospital staff “put him to sleep” in order to insert a breathing tube. He has been listed as being in “critical condition.”
Hospital staff have indicated to reporters that they do not intend on providing any further updates for the time being. Hamlin is 24 and was drafted by the Bills in 2021 after five seasons at the University of Pittsburgh. His mother was present at the game and traveled with him to the hospital.
