ORCHARD PARK, New York – Damar Hamlin’s recovery is moving in a ‘positive direction’ two days after the Buffalo Bills’ security collapsed. suffered cardiac arrest during a game against Cincinnati, the player’s marketing rep said Wednesday.
“We all remain optimistic,” Jordon Rooney, a family spokesman who described himself as a good friend of the player, told The Associated Press over the phone. He said he was unable to elaborate on Hamlin’s status because his family asked not to provide details.
On Tuesday, the Bills said Hamlin is in critical condition.
Rooney said Hamlin’s family remain positive and encouraged by the Outpouring of worldwide support The Bills sophomore has since received cardiac arrest and he was resuscitated on the field before being loaded into an ambulance and transported to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center.
“You’re in high spirits right now,” Rooney said. “Damar is still her first concern. But for them, they’re always looking at how to turn a slightly troubling situation into a good one. The recovery from that will be incredible for him and his family.”
Rooney’s update came after Hamlin’s uncle Dorrian Glenn told numerous media outlets on Tuesday night that there were some encouraging signs of his nephew’s progress, such as doctors reducing Hamlin’s oxygen requirements from 100% to 50%.
“Right now he’s still sedated,” Glenn told CNN. “They just want him to have a better chance to recover better. So you feel like his body can heal a lot quicker if he’s sedated than if he were awake and potentially cause other complications.”
Rooney said there was a misunderstanding when Glenn said Hamlin needed to be resuscitated twice. Rooney said that’s “not quite right” without going into detail.
The chilling scene of Hamlin’s collapse, played out before a North American television audience on ESPN’s “Monday Night Football,” has put the NFL on hold with the crucial game suspended indefinitely. The Kansas Chiefs are battling the Bills and Bengals for the AFC No.
The Bills, who returned to Buffalo early Tuesday, are scheduled to hold team meetings and a walkthrough practice session Wednesday with no media availability. They are expected to resume practice Thursday ahead of their home game against the New England Patriots on Sunday.
The Patriots also pushed back their media availability to Thursday, noting that the NFL had agreed to give both teams an extra day “due to these unique circumstances.”
It remains unclear whether the The NFL will postpone the Bills’ game against the Bengalswhich has major implications for deciding who will win the AFC race, with the playoffs set to open on January 14.
The Chiefs (13-3) currently have a half-game lead over Buffalo (12-3), with the Bills owning the tiebreaker after beating Kansas City this season. The Bengals (11-4) are currently the third seed and have also defeated the Chiefs this season.
Players and fans from across the NFL rallied in support of Hamlin, with vigils in Cincinnati and outside the Bills’ home stadium. The shock of what happened resonated in Pittsburgh, where 24-year-old Hamlin grew up determined to give back to those in need.
Hamlin was injured in the first quarter when he was hit squarely in the chest while making what appeared to be a routine tackle on Bengals receiver Tee Higgins. Hamlin stood up briefly and adjusted his face mask before collapsing backwards.
Hamlin hails from McKees Rocks, a tough Pittsburgh suburb, and was selected from Pitt by Buffalo in the sixth round of the 2021 draft. He spent his rookie season limited to special team roles, taking the starting job in Week 3 in place of veteran Micah Hyde, who remains sidelined with a neck injury.
Fans, players and NFL owners donate to Hamlin’s Chasing M’s Foundation. The foundation’s modest goal of raising $2,500 for a toy drive surpassed $6.3 million as of Wednesday afternoon. Patriots owner Robert Kraft donated $18,003, while Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady and Denver Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson, along with his wife Ciara, donated $10,000.
“Damar would want to use this to help other people. He would hate if all his attention was just on him and there wasn’t a positive outcome,” Rooney told reporters at the hospital. “Well, I mean, this is Damar. I mean, his whole life is spent caring for and serving other people. That’s just who he is.”
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