Buffalo in Shock Over NFL Player’s Dramatic Collapse

James LeBlanc, a neighborly bartender from Buffalo was standing in a sea of orange overcoats in Cincinnati’s Paycor Stadium Monday night when the previously riotous crowd went silent from one moment to the next. A player was down on the field, and “the amount of time he was on the field was like nothing I’ve ever seen,” Mr. LeBlanc told the Sun. Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin had collapsed after tackling a wide receiver with the Cincinnati Bengals, Tee Higgins. He was able to get up after the play, but quickly fell back to the ground after suffering a cardiac arrest on the field. Although the TV broadcast cut away from the scene, as is usually done with major injuries, Mr. LeBlanc knew this was not a normal situation, with medics rushing to perform CPR on the field.Mr. LeBlanc, a bartender at the Bar Bill Tavern, a local haunt and a favorite of some Bills players, drove six and a half hours home after the game Monday night. At work Tuesday, muted TV screens were playing coverage of the incident, and the room was filled with snippets of customers recounting their reactions to the situation.Mr. LeBlanc was privy to a perspective that those at home couldn’t see, and told the Sun that responders began to undress Mr. Hamlin to administer treatment on the field, including an IV drip.The broadcast showed that the stadium uproar had died down, but it wasn’t initially clear how serious the situation was until the reactions of players were shown on screen, with some shedding tears and others holding one another. Those watching on ESPN could see fans from both teams holding hands, even though just moments ago they were wildly cheering against each other.“Even Bengals fans — everyone’s heart was stopped,” Mr. LeBlanc said. “I couldn’t believe they were still trying to play the game.”Players were initially given five minutes after the field was cleared to “warm up” and return to play. However, the game was eventually suspended after a meeting between the head coaches, Sean McDermott and Zac Taylor, and the referees.Shortly after the meeting, the NFL commissioner, Roger Goodell, announced that the game would be postponed. The league has not announced if or when the game will be resumed.Tuesday was a 40-degree, rainy day in the Nickel City, and the collapse of the 24-year-old Mr. Hamlin is basically all that anyone was talking about, often while holding back tears.The game was highly anticipated, with the Bills and Bengals both making the playoffs this season, as the second and third seeds in the AFC, respectively. The Bills had been first seed before the events Monday night. Both teams also made the playoffs last season.Late Tuesday morning, the family of Mr. Hamlin released a statement expressing thanks for the outpouring of support from both Buffalo and Cincinnati, saying, “We are deeply moved by the prayer, kind words, and donations.”“We also want to acknowledge the dedicated first responders and healthcare professionals at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center who have provided exceptional care to Damar,” the family said. “We feel so blessed to be part of the Buffalo Bills organization and to have their support.”According to the most recent statement from the Bills, Mr. Hamlin spent last night in the intensive care unit at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center and is in critical condition.“We are grateful and thankful for the outpouring of support we have received thus far,” the statement reads.Buffalo and its surrounding communities have banded together to show their support for Mr. Hamlin and the team after Monday night’s incident.Most people working in or around an area of Orchard Park that surrounds Highmark Stadium, known locally as Bills Drive, were not eager to talk on the record Tuesday, but most had coverage of the news playing on live TV.One server at Danny’s Buffalo Cuisine, a restaurant across the street from the stadium, Darlene Zlotac, said she was expecting an unusually busy day as fans came out to gather in support of Mr. Hamlin and the team.“Everyone is saddened, upset, and praying,” she told the Sun. “Buffalo is one big family, the Bills aren’t just a team in Buffalo.”She said that Western New Yorkers were doing as much as they could to keep Mr. Hamlin in their thoughts and prayers and prove themselves as one of the most supportive fan communities in sports.Ms. Zlotac said the response of a Bills wide receiver, Stefon Diggs, was emblematic of the people of the City of Good Neighbors. Mr. Diggs traveled to the medical center to be beside Mr. Hamlin after the game was postponed, reportedly staying in Cincinnati overnight.Fans have already donated millions of dollars to a charity started by Mr. Hamlin in 2020 called the Chasing M Foundation. The foundation was originally started to help purchase toys for children in Mr. Hamlin’s hometown of McKees Rocks, Pennsylvania. The foundation’s total amount raised was $4.2 million by Tuesday afternoon, up from just about $2,900 before his collapse.

Buffalo in Shock Over NFL Player’s Dramatic Collapse

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