The inherent risks of professional football are well-known, a reality that has brought increased scrutiny to the sport over the years due to player injuries. Among the most hazardous sports, American football has seen its share of impactful moments, but few have captured the nation’s attention and sparked a conversation about player safety quite like the sudden collapse of Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin during a Monday Night Football game.
It was January 2, 2023, a date now etched into the minds of football fans. Just five minutes and 58 seconds into the game against the Cincinnati Bengals, after making a tackle on Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins, Damar Hamlin stood up. He appeared to adjust his helmet, took just two steps, and then fell backward onto the field. His body lay limp in what quickly became a horrifying scene for everyone watching, both in the stadium and at home.
Paramedics and medical staff immediately rushed onto the field. The gravity of the situation was instantly apparent; injuries are frequent in football, but games are rarely postponed, indicating the seriousness of this incident. Buffalo Bills players and Bengals competitors alike were visibly distressed, with Bills players forming a circle around their teammate to shield him from public view while medical personnel worked.
What exactly happened to Damar Hamlin? The Buffalo Bills organization later issued a statement confirming the terrifying diagnosis: “Damar Hamlin suffered a cardiac arrest following a hit in our game versus the Bengals.” This was not a heart attack, which is typically a circulation problem. Cardiac arrest, in contrast, is when an electrical disturbance causes the heart to suddenly stop beating. While a heart attack can sometimes lead to cardiac arrest, the two are distinct.
The medical response on the field was swift and critical. CPR and an automated external defibrillator (AED) were administered to Hamlin before he was loaded into an ambulance. More than 15 minutes passed from the moment he collapsed until he was taken off the field. His heartbeat was restored on the field before he was transferred to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center for further testing and treatment. He was initially listed in critical condition and sedated.
The scene deeply affected players and coaches. Reporters at the stadium observed that Hamlin was given CPR on the field. ESPN sideline reporter Lisa Salters noted the same. Multiple Bills and Bengals players were gathered around him, visibly concerned. Quarterback Josh Allen was seen pausing with teammates as Hamlin was examined. Stefon Diggs was reportedly in tears on the field and later took an Uber to the hospital where Hamlin was being treated. NFL executive vice president of football operations Troy Vincent described the players and coaches as “traumatized” during discussions about suspending the game.
Speaking later, Troy Vincent reflected on the moment the league grappled with the unprecedented situation. He said it was “fluid and things were changing by the minute,” and that the emotions on the phone were “extremely high,” making it a “very volatile situation.” He explicitly refuted reports that teams were given a five-minute warmup period to resume playing, calling that notion “ridiculous” and “insensitive.” NFL Executive Vice President of Communications Jeff Miller added after the postponement that “Our concern is for the player and his wellbeing,” and that conversations about resuming the game would happen “At the appropriate time.” Kurt Warner, on the NFL Radio broadcast, remarked, “I’ve never seen anything like that before.”
The immediate aftermath saw an outpouring of concern and support from across the NFL and beyond. Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott, addressing the situation later, noted the immense “courage” it would take for Damar to “re-engage again,” emphasizing that his emotional state was just as important as his physical condition. McDermott expressed readiness to support Damar “in any direction he decides to go, even if it’s last minute.” Bills GM Brandon Beane also shared the personal impact of the event, having spent the first four days at Hamlin’s side in Cincinnati, including when he was awakened from a medically induced coma. Beane stated, “It was all about his health, and it’s always going to be about his health.”
Early updates from the hospital offered cautious hope. Jordon Rooney, who identified himself as Hamlin’s marketing representative, provided an update saying Hamlin’s vitals were “back to normal” shortly after the incident, though he had been intubated and put to sleep. CNN’s chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta noted the “critical importance” of medical professionals being able to restart Hamlin’s heart on the field.
On the evening of January 3, 2023, just a day after the collapse, Hamlin’s uncle, Dorrian Glenn, provided a harrowing update on CNN. He revealed the critical nature of his nephew’s condition, sharing that Hamlin needed to be resuscitated a second time upon arrival at the hospital. “His heart had went out so they had to resuscitate him twice,” Glenn told CNN. He explained that Damar was sedated to “give him a better chance” to heal and had been “flipped over on his stomach” to help with blood in his lungs. The focus was on getting him to breathe on his own. Glenn spoke emotionally about the ordeal, saying he’s “not a crier, but I’ve never cried so hard in my life. Just to know, like, my nephew basically died on the field and they brought him back to life.” He added, “I’m just glad he’s alive and able to fight and trying to get better and recover.” Rooney echoed the uncertainty at the time, stating, “We don’t have a specific medical update at this time. He’s fighting, he’s pushing through,” calling it a “day-by-day thing.”
Just days after the accident, on January 5, 2023, the Buffalo Bills announced that Hamlin had shown “remarkable improvement.” While still considered critically ill, a statement said he “appears to be neurologically intact” and his lungs were continuing to heal, making “steady progress.” Teammate Kaiir Elam tweeted moments prior that “Our boy is doing better, awake and showing signs of improvement.” Reports from USA Today indicated Hamlin had opened his eyes and could grip the hands of those close to him. His agency, Agency 1 Sports, tweeted that Hamlin had made “substantial improvement overnight” and expressed thanks to first responders and hospital staff.
The medical community weighed in on the likely cause of such a rare event in a young, healthy athlete. Dr. Rony Shimony, a cardiologist at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City, described the event as requiring a specific, unfortunate confluence of factors: “You have to be very unlucky. You have to be hit in the right place, with enough force, timed at the right point in the cardiac cycle to cause the heart to fibrillate.” Dr. Brian Sutterer explained on his YouTube channel that this phenomenon, known as commotio cordis, is so rare “we typically only think we’re going to read about it in textbooks.” He elaborated that it occurs when “blunt trauma to the chest… occurs at exactly the right time in the cardiac electrical cycle,” sending the heart into cardiac arrest. He emphasized that two things are needed: the hit must be forceful enough, and it must fall within a tiny “milliseconds of a time window.” Outside that window, one would likely “be fine.” Dr. Merije T. Chukumerije, a cardiologist at Cedars-Sinai hospital in Beverly Hills, California, echoed this, stating that based on the limited information and video, “it looks like the mechanism of arrest in Damar Hamlin was a direct impact to the center of his chest, which unfortunately happened at a perfect time when his heart was trying to relax and that is what lead to the sudden cardiac arrest.” He noted that while CPR survival chances are typically low (15-20%), Hamlin’s youth and overall health were positive factors for recovery, though his young age did not prevent the initial event, which was purely due to the “bad timing of the impact to his chest.” The concept of commotio cordis has historical roots, with the National Library of Medicine mentioning early reports potentially relating to martial arts techniques like Dim Mak, or “the touch of death,” and its inspiration for fictional moves like the “five-point palm exploding heart technique” in Kill Bill.
By January 6, 2023, significant progress was reported. The Bills announced that Hamlin’s breathing tube had been removed and that he had addressed his teammates and coaches via FaceTime. The message he shared with the team was simple and profound: “Love you boys.” Dr. Timothy Pritts of UC Health confirmed this, stating Hamlin was “making substantial progress” and his “neurological condition and function is intact,” calling it a “positive ‘turning point’ in his ongoing care.” He noted Hamlin had been communicating by writing and, upon waking, asked who won the Monday Night Football game.
Hamlin’s recovery continued to advance rapidly. On January 7, less than a week after the incident, he made his first public statement on social media, expressing gratitude for the immense support. “When you put real love out into the world it comes back to you 3x’s as much..,” Hamlin wrote. “The Love has been overwhelming, but I’m thankful for every single person that prayed for me and reached out.” He added that the shared experience had “brung the world back together behind this” and that “If you know me you know this only gone make me stronger. On a long road keep praying for me!” The Bills and the rest of the NFL community showed their support in various ways. The Bills carried a large flag bearing Hamlin’s number three onto the field before their game against the New England Patriots on January 7, and players across the league wore patches of the number three on their jerseys. An announcer before the Bills game noted, “Throughout this week, the entire Western New York community, NFL family and people around the world have been praying for Damar Hamlin,” adding that his “amazing recovery has lifted our collective spirits.”
On January 9, 2023, just a week after his collapse, Hamlin was discharged from the Cincinnati hospital and returned to Buffalo. He tweeted about the experience, saying he was “Headed home to Buffalo today with a lot of love on my heart. 🫶🏾” He added, “Watching the world come together around me on Sunday was truly an amazing feeling,” and that the love shown was “bigger than football! 🫶🏾” NFL Network reported he would continue undergoing tests at another hospital in Buffalo. The following day, January 10, an update confirmed he remained hospitalized in Buffalo for testing, but by January 11, 2023, the remarkable news came: Damar Hamlin was discharged from Buffalo General Medical Center/Gates Vascular Institute. A statement from the hospital, through critical care physician Dr. Jamie Nadler, confirmed: “We have completed a series of tests and evaluations, and in consultation with the team physicians, we are confident that Damar can be safely discharged to continue his rehabilitation at home and with the Bills.”
His physical presence back with the team facility in Orchard Park, N.Y., came swiftly, just two weeks after the on-field incident. Bills linebacker Matt Milano shared a picture on Instagram showing Hamlin with a broad smile, back “on campus.”
The journey didn’t stop there; Damar Hamlin used his experience to inspire others and advocate for important causes. He attended the Bills’ home playoff game against the Bengals on January 22, 2023, waving to fans from a stadium suite and making his signature heart sign gesture to express gratitude. In February 2023, he received the NFLPA’s Alan Page Community Award, recognizing his significant charitable work.
