On Monday, January second, the Josh Allen-led Buffalo Bills and Joe Burrow-led Cincinnati Bengals were set to play in Cincinnati.  The game began at 8:15 PM right after the Rose Bowl and was nationally televised. This game was highly anticipated as the Bills lead the AFC with a 13-2 record, and the Bengals are in third place with an 11-4 record. This game was also crucial for Cincinnati as if they won they would win the AFC north and secure home field for the first round of playoffs. But the game took a very dark turn very fast.

The Bills won the coin toss at the beginning of the game, opting to differ the ball to Cincinnati who led a six-minute drive to score a touchdown. The Bills followed back on a four- minute drive to score a field goal. Cincinnati received the ball at their 29-yard line. After a short run from Cincinnati running back Joe Mixon, Joe Burrow threw a short pass to wide receiver Tee Higgins who dropped his shoulder to try and truck stick Bills rookie safety Damar Hamlin and hit him square in the chest and securing the first down. Hamlin at first got up but after about three steps, fell back down to the ground as he fell into cardiac arrest. 

TV networks quickly cut to commercial, but at Paycor Stadium where the game was being held, an ambulance was quickly rushed on the field and began performing AED-assisted CPR. After regaining consciousness Hamlin was quickly set on oxygen and rushed to Cincinnati Medical Center. The game was postponed at 9:25 by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell.

Hamlin, who was a rookie safety out of Pitt, had a charity where he gave presents to underprivileged children. Before his injury Hamlin’s charity had about 12,000 dollars worth of donations, but after Monday night’s incident, his charity had over  six million dollars worth of donations.

Currently Hamlin is in critical condition at the Cincinnati Medical Center, but he’s still fighting for his life.  We, along with many others, are hoping for a swift recovery for him.