Damar Hamlin, a prominent player in American football, went into cardiac arrest during a night game of the National Football League in the United States and is currently in critical condition.
A collision with an opponent caused the 24-year-old player for the Buffalo Bills, who were playing against the Cincinnati Bengals, to fall to the ground during the first quarter of the game.
More than half an hour passed while he was being treated by medical personnel on the field before he was transported to a nearby hospital.
About an hour after the event, the National Football League decided to call off the game for the night.
His team, the Buffalo Bills, later issued a statement in which they verified the cardiac arrest and stated that his heartbeat was restored while he was on the field playing.
Hamlin is presently being sedated while undergoing additional testing and treatment, according to a tweet posted by the team early on Tuesday morning.
The emergency triggered an outpouring of sympathy for Hamlin and brought attention back to the deadly nature of America’s most popular sport at a time when the NFL season is approaching its final playoff stages. Hamlin was able to recover from his injuries and return to the track.
In the stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio, Hamlin was making a tackle on Bengals receiver Tee Higgins when it seemed that Higgins’ helmet made contact with Hamlin in the chest. After coming to his feet for the first time, he fell backwards onto his back.
Hamlin was surrounded by players from both sides while emergency care personnel performed CPR and administered oxygen. Several people could be seen in obvious anguish, with several of them on their knees praying and some of them crying.
While the crowd in Cincinnati stayed silent during the experience, the television coverage frequently cut away from the action that was taking place on the field.
Hamlin’s representative, Jordan Rooney, posted the following on Twitter: “Now that his vital signs have returned to normal, they have put him under anaesthesia so that they can insert a breathing tube down his neck.” At this very moment, they are conducting testing. “When we receive further information, we will share it with you here.”
In the National Football League, injuries seldom cause games to be postponed. Commentators pointed to the fact that gameplay had stopped as evidence of the alarming and serious nature of the situation that had arisen.
Both of these teams are in the running for a spot in the Super Bowl this year, and their matchup will take place in primetime on a Monday night during the sixth-to-last week of the regular season in the National Football League (NFL).
The players’ association for the league issued the following statement: “We have been in communication with players from both the Bills and the Bengals, as well as with the NFL.” The only thing that is important right now is Damar’s health and well-being. “Nothing else matters.”
The Bills selected Hamlin in the 2021 draught after he had played college football for the University of Pittsburgh. Hamlin was born in McKees Rock, Pennsylvania.
Since before he was an athlete who received a salary, he has been drawing plaudits for organizing an annual Christmas toy drive in his community.
Following Hamlin’s passing on Monday, an online GoFundMe page for the toy drive was launched, and as of Tuesday, it had raised close to $3.1 million (£2.5 million).
On Monday evening, blue lights were turned on in a number of buildings across Cincinnati, including Paycor Stadium, which is where the event took place.
In recent years, there has been a lot of discussion over the safety of American football, but most of the focus has been on concussion dangers rather than cardiac hazards.
According to research, chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a kind of brain degeneration, is prevalent among retired National Football League players. CTE is thought to be caused by repeated blows to the head.
Blunt trauma is rather common in contact sports, but it is unusual for it to produce complications with the heart in this manner.
A direct blow to the chest has the potential to cause a person to go into cardiac arrest. When this occurs, the heart is unable to beat normally, rendering it incapable of performing its normal function of pumping blood throughout the body.
This is not the same as having a heart attack, which occurs when the blood flow to the muscle of the heart is suddenly cut off.
In the case of Hamlin, the medical staff was successful in getting his heart to start beating again in a short amount of time. It is not yet known what kinds of internal ailments he may have incurred as a result of the occurrence, nor is it known whether or not his heart has been significantly harmed, if any.
There has been an outpouring of love and well wishes for the ailing footballer.
LeBron James, a famous basketball player, commented on the incident by saying, “It was a terrible thing to see, and I wish nothing but the best for the kid.”
J.J. Watt, a defensive end with the Arizona Cardinals, said on his Twitter account: “I hope that you are okay, man.” “Please be okay,” one fan pleaded, while former Pittsburgh Steelers safety Ryan Clark told the SportsCenter broadcast on ESPN that “this isn’t about a football player; this is about a human.”
According to Bills supporter Bruce Sharpe, who was at the stadium when the incident took place, it was “devastating.”
“Everything came to a complete and utter halt.” “Even the fans of the Bengals don’t want to see something even similar to that, you know,” he remarked. “All we can do is pray that there are no serious consequences.”