Buffalo Bills safety Tamar Hamlin was in critical condition at the hospital after he collapsed in the first quarter of “Monday Night Football” against the Bengals in Cincinnati, officials said.
Hamlin, 24, suffered a heart attack, the bill said A statement Early Tuesday.
“His heart rate was restored on the field and he was transferred to UC Medical Center for evaluation and treatment,” Bills said, referring to the University of Cincinnati’s Level 1 Trauma Center. “He is currently listed as unconscious and in critical condition.”
With Cincinnati leading 7-3, Hamlin tackled Bengals wide receiver Dee Higgins, stood up and then fell on his back.
As coaches surrounded Hamlin, an ambulance arrived on the field. Hamlin received CPR for several minutes before ESPN broadcasters called the game. Emotional players and coaches stood, and the Bills knelt to pray.
Family members were with him, broadcasters said.
The NFL said in a statement Hamlin immediately received medical treatment after the incident.
“Our thoughts are with Damar and the Buffalo Bills. We will provide additional information as it becomes available,” the NFL said.
Play was suspended and later postponed. Both teams left the field and went to their locker rooms.
The broadcast crew in the booth and their colleagues in the network studios were emotional.
“Monday Night Football” is an ESPN production that airs on ABC.
The Buffalo Bills tweeted “The Bills mafia is with you, @HamlinIsland,” a reference to the player and a name for Bills fans. The Bengals were among the teams that responded with the praying hands emoji.
In a sport where players can sometimes suffer serious injuries, the apparent gravity of the situation was called unprecedented on Monday’s broadcast.
The game was suspended with 5:58 left in the first quarter. The NFL officially postponed the game an hour later, after 10 p.m. ET.
The Buffalo Bills tweeted “The Bills mafia is with you, @HamlinIsland,” referring to the player and a nod to Bills fans. The Bengals were among the teams that responded with the praying hands emoji. Bills quarterback Written by Josh Allen: “Pray for our brother.”
The NFL Players Association, which Players Association, Tweeted: “The NFLPA and everyone in our community are praying for Tamar Hamlin.
“We have been in contact with the Bills and Bengals players and the NFL. The only thing that matters at this time is Tamar’s health and well-being,” the union said.
After the incident, an “emergency action plan” was put in place, NFL cxecutive vice president of football operations Troy Vincent said in a conference call on Monday.
Neither the coaches nor the players have spoken about resuming play, he said.
“It’s really about Temer and confirming that — look, I’ve never seen anything like this since I’ve been playing,” said Vincent, a former cornerback in the league. He said it was a traumatic event.
Hamlin is a native of McKees Rocks, Pennsylvania, near Pittsburgh, and was drafted in the sixth round of the 2021 NFL Draft.
Even the Pittsburgh Steelers tweeted, “Sending our thoughts and prayers to Tamar Hamlin, his family” and the Buffalo Bills.
Bengals fans came out to the hospital in support, from the video NBC affiliate WLWT showed.
“Watching it on TV doesn’t make it any easier,” Demetria Dutt said. “To have kids see it, family members see it, what happened tonight — nobody wants to see that. We pray.
