Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) - It has been an emotional week for the Buffalo Bills after the events of Monday night in Cincinnati with safety Damar Hamlin.
After Hamlin had collapsed to the turf of Paycor Stadium during the first quarter of their game against the Bengals, the 24-year-old went into cardiac arrest, needing life-saving CPR and the use of an AED to get his heart back up and running.
Once medical personnel from the Bills, Bengals and other professional were able to get Hamlin in a situation to get to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center, the emotions of the situation was enough to halt the game entirely.
For the Bills, many of the players and coaches did what they could to be at the hospital with Hamlin and his family before they would later board the team plane and return to Western New York in the early morning hours on Tuesday.
However, not everyone from the Bills ended up leaving Cincinnati that night to return to Buffalo. Among the small group that remained to tend to Hamlin and be there for support was general manager Brandon Beane.
"It's real simple: 'What would you want someone to do for your son?'" Beane said on Friday of his reasoning for staying back with Hamlin. "I've got two boys, and Sean wanted to stay as well, in fairness to him, and we were trying to figure it out. But as we're dealing with this in minutes, trying to make these decisions, we decided it was, we are the leaders, and he needs to lead these coaches and this team, and help these guys get through back here, because we don't know how long this is going to be, and we may have a game, which we do, to prepare for. So we divided it up, and I said, 'Let me stay here. Let me support here. We'll work this out.' That's why I love Sean. We were able to work this through, and he did a great job there. But it was a roller coaster."
As Beane stayed in Cincinnati to be with his sixth-round pick from the 2021 NFL Draft, he got the chance to get acclimated with Hamlin's parents, Mario and Nina. That gave Beane a chance to get to know Damar a bit more personally, and how he became to be the adult he is today.
"Just seeing his parents and the strength that they have shown through this time, and different friends and family that showed up, it was great to see and learn more about Damar," Beane explained. "Obviously, I knew who he was through the draft process, and then just getting to know him this last year-and-a-half, but you learn so much more. And you see why he is who he is by spending time with Mario and Nina."
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As the hours ticked by and the waiting game continued with Hamlin's progress, Beane and Damar's parents were able to get a glimpse of the support coming in for him from all corners of the football world. The community came together and, in true Buffalo fashion, chose to donate money to his charity, The Chasing M's Foundation.
As of early Tuesday morning, the donation totals had reached $1 million. The next day, $5 million. As of Friday evening, the donation total for Hamlin had surpassed more than $8 million.
Beane, along with Damar's parents, were astounded at the amount of overwhelming support. They knew it was going to be something that Damar was going to be very excited for once he had woken up.
"We were laughing with his mom, you try to have some laughable moments in there. She was like, 'Man, he just wanted $2,500 for this thing. Some of the toys he bought, there was always some disagreements with which child gets this toy and that.' And I was like, 'You're gonna be passing out cars next year, not toys,'" Beane said. "It's gonna be exciting to see how excited Damar is about what he can do, because that's who Damar is. He's so selfless, and he's always got a smile on his face."
As the days progressed, Damar's condition also progressed, with more positives developing for the young Bills safety by the hour. Beane says it was around Wednesday when he first felt that things were turning in favor of Damar, where he was going to be OK in his road to recovery.
"Then [Thursday], we walk in there at seven in the morning, and Dr. [William] Knight comes in and is like, 'You're not gonna believe it. He's responding to commands, he's still intubated, but he's giving us signals with his hands and he's nodding,'" Beane said. "I wanted to go back there then, but he was like, 'Hey, we've got to talk through a few things with where we're at.' But we got back there, Tabani [Richards], Nate [Breske] and myself, and just able to hug him, and the grip strength that he had. I told Mario I'm not a crier, but man, it was emotional. A lot of grown men in there crying yesterday, but it's something I'll never forget."
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With the positive progression of Hamlin as of Thursday, that allowed Beane to return to Buffalo and be back in the Bills facility in Orchard Park on Friday. There, he was able to regroup with head coach Sean McDermott and the rest of the team staff on what's to come now for the team with the New England Patriots coming to town.
When looking back on how his team handled the last few days since Hamlin's cardiac arrest, Beane couldn't have been more proud of the resiliency his group showed.
"So many people with the way we've dealt with so much this year, definitely not the way you draw it up. I don't know what's gonna happen the rest of the season on the field, I really don't. This is a group of winners, and I will forever remember this team, this season, the moments of it," he said. "I'm still hopefully optimistic that we can make a run, but I don't know if there's ever a team I'll be more proud of than this for all this been dealt. We're still sitting here with all this at 12-3 and a chance to still do something. We'll see what happens there, but I could talk for hours how proud I am."
As for McDermott, Beane credits him for his leadership in the days after the incident in Cincinnati. He says what has transpired with the group is a testament to what he does for the Bills, and he's glad to have him as the head coach in Buffalo.
"What a great job of leading our team back here, getting them home. It were some very tenuous moments, as we know, as Damar was trying to battle this through, and a lot of unknowns and uncertainties," Beane said. "Just the vulnerability that Sean showed, working with our team, helping us get counselors here. I went into the team meeting this morning, and he's got this team rock solid. I'm biased, but through what we've been through in this, this guy deserves Coach of the Year for what he's done."
As his team gets ready to face the Patriots to close out the regular season schedule, Beane is certain there will be some challenges with handling the expected emotions of the game. It will be about managing the emotions of the players that may dictate how well the team can execute the game plan in place.
As Beane sees Sunday's game, while emotions may run high, it will be the celebration of an ongoing life after the team nearly lost a loved one of their own.
"Just a celebration that this is going to not only be a celebration in Buffalo, but the whole country, and I'm sure people internationally that have watched this situation. I think it's going to be a great see if you got a ticket to come here, and just be a part of this atmosphere," Beane said. "The hair on the back of my neck is standing up right now thinking about it, but it's going to be unique. I'm excited to see it."
