:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/71818434/1449249573.0.jpg "Damar Hamlin injury updates: Latest on Bills safety, who is making progress but in critical condition in hospital")
Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin went into cardiac arrest on Monday evening during the team's game against the Cincinnati Bengals. He received CPR on the field and he was taken by ambulance to University of Cincinnati Medical Center, which is a level 1 trauma center.
Hamlin's heartbeat was restarted, but he was placed on oxygen and is being examined at the hospital and is in critical condition. The Bills released a statement at 1:48 a.m. ET Tuesday morning confirming some of the base details.
The cardiac arrest began after Hamlin tackled Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins. After the tackle, Hamlin quickly got up to his feet but fell backwards and collapsed to the ground. CPR was administered and he was eventually placed on a stretcher and taken away by ambulance. Players were visibly distraught throughout.
Once Hamlin was taken off the field, Joe Buck initially said that league officials informed the broadcast the teams would have five minutes to warm up get ready to return to playing. The league has refuted this, although Buck said it multiple times.
Bengals head coach Zac Taylor and Bills head coach Sean McDermott eventually took their players off the field and back to their respective locker rooms. An hour later, the league formally postponed the game. The Bills have since returned to Buffalo with some team officials remaining in Cincinnati with Hamlin. No makeup date has been scheduled as of Tuesday morning.
We'll continue updating this with more news about Hamlin as it comes in.
11:44 a.m. update – Damar Hamlin's family released a statement on Tuesday. It expressed gratitude for the love and support shown to him. It acknowledged the first responders and healthcare professionals who have provided care to him. They will provide updates “as soon as we have them.”
Announcement directly from Damar's family: pic.twitter.com/MdzgxUmVfg
– Jordon Rooney (@jordonr) January 3, 2023