Jude Magnotti ’26
EE Staff Writer
On January 2nd 2023 the entire sports world was getting ready for what was sure to be an electric Monday night matchup. It was a game between two of the top teams, the Cincinnati Bengals and the Buffalo Bills. Both teams were trying to fight for better playoff seeding, and this game was especially important for Buffalo who were trying to attain a first round bye.
However, what was supposed to be a fun night football turned into one of the scariest nights in recent sports memory. Only about 7 minutes into the game, with Bengals leading 7-3, Bengals receiver Tee Higgins was tackled hard by 24-year-old Bills safety, Damar Hamlin. At first, everything seemed normal with Hamlin getting back up after the collision. Unfortunately, to the horror of everyone watching the game, he collapsed back onto the field.
The camera had cut away from Damar as he was falling so, for a short period of time, people were unaware of what was happening. There was said to be an injury on the field, and the network cut to commercial break with people still oblivious as to what was going on. The camera resumed to show the entire Bills medical staff on the field seemingly trying to revive a player. Hamlin had gone into cardiac arrest on the field, and the medical staff was scrambling to get help until an ambulance arrived on the field to get Damar to the hospital.
He was transported straight from the stadium to The University Of Cincinnati Medical Center, and it was reported that he was in critical condition and unable to breath on his own. Players on both sides were extremely emotional with Bills quarterback Josh Allen in particular welling up in tears.
As everyone was struggling to interpret what was going on, Joe Buck reported that the NFL was going to give the players 5 minutes to warm up and then go back out on the field. The coaches refused to play and, after discussion, it was determined that the game would be postponed. The 5 minutes to warm up was a decision that the NFL received a significant amount of backlash from. However, they deny the allegations that they called for a resumption of the game, issuing an official statement about the matter.
With that being said, all people cared about was Damar Hamlin’s health. For quite possibly one of the first times, the entire sports world came together to support Damar. His toy drive received over 6 million dollars in donations over the course of a few days. People shouted him out everywhere and made sure to keep him in their thoughts and prayers. The NFL even started a campaign Love For Damar 3 to support and honor Damar Hamlin. Even a professional NHL team the Buffalo Sabres wore customized Damar Hamlin gear to their game after Monday Night Football.
Over the time span of one terrifying week, Damar Hamlin was finally discharged from Buffalo General Medical Center on January 11th, 2023. All the love and support paid off and Damar Hamlin was finally able to go back home to continue his recovery with his family. Amazingly enough, just a day before, Damar’s team the Bills scored on the opening kickoff return of their game against the New England Patriots. This was the Bills first play since Hamlin’s injury, a fitting tribute as it was their first kickoff return in 3 years and 3 months-Damar Hamlins jersey number.
While all that matters now is that Damar is okay, we also can not ignore what we have learned about ourselves over the incident. It did not matter whether you played football or not, it did not matter if you liked the Bills or not, it did not even matter if you liked sports or not. The entire world –sports and all– came together to support this young man in some way.
That right there is truly amazing, and it is something that I believe gives us all hope going forward. Hopefully this scary event will inspire the NFL to take better care of their players in the future as well. Thank you for reading and prayers for Damar and his family in the aftermath of this.