Buffalo N.Y. (WGR 550) - It has been a long and emotional week for the Buffalo Bills following the tragic incident with safety Damar Hamlin on Monday night in Cincinnati.
During the first quarter of their "Monday Night Football" showdown with the Bengals at Paycor Stadium, Hamlin collapsed to the turf after making a routine tackle of wide receiver Tee Higgins. After several minutes of being administered CPR and with the help of an AED, Hamlin's heartbeat was restored on the field.
The second-year safety was then rushed to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center, where he was placed in a medically induced coma and listed in critical condition.
After the incident, the NFL made the call to suspend the contest with action halted with less than six minutes remaining in the opening quarter. The league also announced this week it will not resume Monday night's game, calling the final decision a "no contest".
As the days went on, the Bills did continue to receive some positive news on the progress of Hamlin's recovery. That came to a head on Thursday when doctors provided an update, saying Hamlin was awake and his neurologic function appeared to be intact.
Then on Friday, the news got even better with doctors removing Hamlin's breathing tube, allowing the 24-year-old to fully breathe on his own.
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The whole team has responded well to hearing of the positive updates regarding Hamlin, and those positive vibes were only accelerated on Friday when Hamlin made a surprise visit with his teammates and coaches over FaceTime.
“We were able to Zoom and see Damar, he was able to gesture with more so with his hands, but we were able to hear him say ‘I love you boys’ to the team and the people in the room” said Bills head coach Sean McDermott on Friday during his weekly appearance on the "Extra Point Show" on WGR.
While McDermott said the call with Hamlin was brief, it was a much-needed sigh of relief for not only the team, but also for Hamlin. The Bills head coach says he is extremely grateful and thankful for Hamlin's progress on his road to recovery.
Throughout the week, McDermott was reaching out to other coaches who have dealt with players who have suffered serious injuries, as well. He also knows that these things don’t go away when talking to other coaches around the league.
McDermott will not know how the call with Hamlin will affect the team until they kick things off on Sunday when the Bills host the New England Patriots in the regular season finale at Highmark Stadium.
“There will be more unknowns this Sunday, this game as we head into it, just because of the roller coaster ride, if you will, of the last four days,” McDermott said with Sal Capaccio and Joe DiBiase.
As the Bills get ready for their second meeting of the season with New England, McDermott mentioned the players have done a really good job preparing for the Patriots on a short and very difficult week.
McDermott finds it fitting that with all that has happened this week, he is happy that the regular season will be ending back home in Orchard Park.
“The different challenges that our city has faced over the course of the last six months, to be able to come home and finish the regular season at home in front of our fans,” McDermott said.
Hear more of McDermott's appearance during the "Extra Point Show" available in the player below:
