Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin is currently completing his recovery and rehab program from home following his recent cardiac arrest during a game with the Cincinnati Bengals Jan. 9.
Hamlin suffered a cardiac episode on the field after taking down Bengal’s wide receiver, Tee Higgins.
Medical crews immediately rushed to the scene to assist in the issue, and stunned spectators watched in horror as Hamlin received CPR and was revived on the field before being transported to the hospital.
Hamlin suffered from a type of cardiac arrest called Commotio Cordis, when the heart stops pumping due to a direct impact.
“In Hamlin’s case, Higgins’ right shoulder directly hit Hamlin’s chest wall over the heart. Such an impact between two moving objects could create a pressure between 250 mmHg to 600 mmHg over the chest wall. Although we may never know, the impact was likely during the early part of the heart’s relaxation to prepare for the next heartbeat, [cardiology specialist] Dr. Kaustunh Dabhadkar adds,” Parade Magzine reported. .
The “extremely rare” condition left the NFL player in critical condition, which shocked players and fans alike. An outpouring of support began as everyone rallied to support Hamlin during the turbulent event.
The Sports Rush reported that Hamlin later woke up in the hospital, and “the first words he was able to write down on a piece of paper were ‘did we win?’ One doctor had an appropriate answer for the historic moment. ‘Yes, Damar. You Won. You won the game of life.’” The came was eventually canceled.
While the majority of the response was in support of Hamlin and prayers for his safety and recovery, another outcome of the incident was critics blaming Higgins for the incident. According to the Independent, ESPN personality Bart Scott recently came under fire after suggesting that Higgins was responsible for Hamlin’s injury. He alleged that Higgins had lowered his helmet before the collision, a football move that the NFL had tried to cut out exactly for player safety reasons.
However, this was quickly shot down by even Hamlin’s family, who was “frustrated by the backlash,” according to the Independent. It came down to a freak accident which “was nothing that Tee could control,” Hamlin’s friend and marketing representative Jordon Rooney said.
The incident also triggered more discussion about the safety of football.
The high-risk, high-reward sport results in sometimes hundreds of injuries a year, according to a recent New York Times article that looked into the reporting of injuries in the NFL.
Despite the division on the issue of safety, Hamlin became the focal point of interest for the nation as they rallied in support of him.
In a statement during his recovery process, Hamlin posted a statement.
“Watching the world come together around me on Sunday was truly an amazing feeling,” Hamlin said. “The same love you all have shown me is the same love that I plan to put back into the world and more. Bigger than football!”
