Damar Hamlin Received CPR On The Field After Collapsing After A Tackle

UPDATE: Jordon Rooney, the marketing rep for Damar Hamlin, provided an update on the Bills’ safety, saying that tests are being run and that his vital signs have returned to normal.

The team would later confirm Hamlin had gone into cardiac arrest on the field and had his heartbeat restored before being taken to the hospital.

EARLIER: The much-anticipated Monday Night Football matchup between the Bills and Bengals came to a sudden halt in the first quarter when Buffalo defensive back Damar Hamlin collapsed on the field after making a tackle.

Trainers from both teams quickly made their way onto the field and began radioing for emergency response. The ESPN broadcast showed a replay of Hamlin make a tackle, get up, and immediately collapse backwards. He remained down on the field for more than 10 minutes, where he had CPR administered through two commercial breaks, per Joe Buck on the ESPN call, before being moved to a backboard and into an ambulance where he was transported off of the field.

It was a terrifying scene, with the players from both sides all gathering around Hamlin, all of whom were visibly distraught as they watched helplessly as Hamlin received emergency medical care on the field. As the ambulance left the field, the entire Bills team huddled up, took a knee around Sean McDermott, and said a prayer. We will provide further updates on Hamlin’s situation when they become available, but the two teams decided to temporarily suspend play, which felt like the correct call given the emotion of the moment.

UPDATE: A report from Cincinnati television reporter Joe Danneman indicated Hamlin had a pulse but was not breathing on his own as he was being transported to the medical center — ESPN’s Alaina Getzenberg likewise reported Hamlin appeared to be receiving oxygen as he was placed in the ambulance.

Many from around the NFL called on the league to cancel the game outright on social media, and ESPN’s Booger McFarland shared that sentiment on air while in an impossible spot as ESPN’s studio crew had to try and navigate the situation without anything in the way of a firm update.

The first official update on Hamlin came in the league’s announcement the game had been postponed, with confirmation he was in critical condition at the hospital.