Cam Heyward got a text to turn on the television Monday night, shortly after former Central Catholic and Pitt standout and current Bills defensive back Damar Hamlin collapsed on the field in Cincinnati during Monday Night Football.
“Me and my wife were just watching,” Heyward said Wednesday morning before the Steelers practiced for the first time since the incident. “We were just talking about, that can happen to anybody. It’s happened in different sports before. Luckily we have first responders and nurses and doctors that are right there for us. Not everybody is given that benefit. I like to think that we’re more protected than other people.”
Heyward, the Steelers’ defensive captain and NFLPA team representative, has been following along — like so many have — as Hamlin remains in critical condition at UC Medical Center in Ohio.
“It’s a freak accident,” Heyward said. “Obviously there's a risk, and you never think anything of that magnitude would ever happen. But I do commend the Cincinnati first responders.
“All we can do is keep thinking about that guy, keeping him in our prayers and hoping he makes a full recovery.”
Heyward is, without a doubt, the primary leader of Pittsburgh’s entire team. And handling this situation, which clearly will have some impact on every locker room in the NFL, will be a tough task as the Steelers ready to play Cleveland Sunday with an opportunity to reach the postseason.
"I don't think it should be tough, but everybody is going to be thinking about that kid and what happened,” Heyward added. “Right now I can only continue to do my job and I think guys are going to do that, but definitely thinking about that kid.”
It seems almost unimportant given the severity of Hamlin’s current state, but the NFL does plan on powering on and playing its Week 18 games as scheduled.
There has been plenty of speculation on what will happen with the remainder of the Bills-Bengals game that was just in the first quarter when Hamlin’s injury occurred, and if the NFL Playoffs — given the meaningfulness of that game — could be delayed or impacted.
But Heyward says that’s a call that is made by the league, not the players.
“That is not my decision,” he said. “That’s a league decision. The players have to abide by that. But the (NFLPA) doesn’t make that decision.”
Of course, there have been other criticisms and controversies that have popped up with this situation. The NFL is being accused of trying to rush players back to the field to conclude the game, while so many were unwilling, and eventually refused.
There’s also been plenty of talk about how the league handles trauma and mental health in the aftermath of serious injuries and incidents. While so much is invested in physical injuries and rehabilitation, many feel that the mental side is often neglected.
“I think there can always be growth in that,” Heyward said. “I’d never shy away from that. We have to keep progressing in that approach. There’s new knowledge behind everything. Whether it’s the players, coaches or families, (they) all have to be taken care of.”
But regardless, the NFL moves on, even as it continues to think of Hamlin. This situation clearly has reverberated throughout the football world, and getting players to collectively put that on the back burner, at least while they’re working, seems to be what Heyward thinks is best.
That said, he thinks they won’t lose sight on what’s most important in the grand scheme of things.
“Players rally around players,” he said. “I think we are worried about that young man in Cincinnati right now. We understand what players are thinking, but right now we can only focus on Damar getting healthy and making a speedy recovery."