Damar Hamlin’s Doctors Told Him ‘You Won The Game Of Life’ When He Asked Who Won Bills-Bengals

Thursday brought a wave of good news regarding the condition of Bills defensive back Damar Hamlin, who collapsed on the field on Monday night in Cincinnati and had to have his heartbeat restored on the field with CPR before being taken to the UC Medical Center where he has remained in critical condition.

The game was suspended and ultimately postponed, with the league discussing a variety of options including not resuming the game at all, as all focus has been on the condition of Hamlin. A statement from the Bills on Thursday morning indicated Hamlin was making “steady progress” and starting to show signs of being “neurologically intact.” Doctors from the UC Medical Center gave a more detailed update on Thursday afternoon, offering even more good news, confirming reports he has function in his hands and feet, with the ability to squeeze the hands of his family members and doctors.

Hamlin even asked in writing who won the game, and doctors responded “you won the game of life.”

As the league prepares to move forward with Week 18 games as scheduled this weekend, the Bills play the Patriots but while they’ve begun game prep, there was some genuine and understandable wonder as to whether the team would be capable of playing less than a week after seeing a teammate go into cardiac arrest. On Thursday, Hamlin’s father spoke with the team over Zoom and provided the positive updates directly to his teammates, which provided a much needed lift for the team, with Jeremy Fowler of ESPN reporting one person told him they “finally started to smile” for the first time since the horrific scene in Cincinnati.

The emotions of it all are still raw, and doctors noted there’s still a ways to go for Hamlin, who won’t be upgraded to stable condition until they can remove the breathing tube and neurological function continues to improve.