The Buffalo Bills versus Cincinnati Bengals Monday Night Football game has been suspended after an injury to Bills safety Damar Hamlin halted play for around a half-hour. There is no timetable for it to resume at this time, but the majority of the Bills traveled back to Western New York early Tuesday morning.
Hamlin was injured tackling Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins on Cincinnati’s second drive of the game. The hit was hard, but Hamlin stood up after bringing Higgins to the ground. He then slumped backwards, fell to the turf, and hit his head on the ground. Medical personnel from both the Bengals and the Bills immediately came onto the field.
The ensuing moments were a flurry of unprecedented activity on an NFL field. Bills players and coaches were visibly shaken as staffers frantically worked on Hamlin, who was administered CPR on the field, and an IV and oxygen while being prepared for transport. It was nearly 15 minutes of work before Hamlin was finally loaded onto a stretcher and put into an ambulance.
After several moments following the ambulance’s departure, and after it was conveyed by ESPN’s Joe Buck that game officials planned to resume action, referees and the Bills and Bengals coaching staffs convened and quickly determined that the game should be temporarily suspended. Both teams headed to the locker room.
The NFL announced at around 10:00 p.m. EST, slightly more than an hour after the injury occurred, that the game had been postponed for the night. There is no word yet on if or when the game will resume, but that is not important tonight.
In the wake of the incident, fans around the NFL have begun donating to Hamlin’s charity of choice. The total is about to pass $2 million in a short period of time.
