Buffalo, N.Y. (WGR 550) - As Damar Hamlin lay motionless on the ground and Buffalo Bills medical staff performed CPR on him, a woman wearing a blue No. 3 Bills jersey stood near the wall separating the field from the stands. She was explaining to security that she wanted to get down on the field to see her son.
Security wanted to help, but because of the way Paycor Stadium is constructed there was no available entrance to the field from her row, or any row nearby.
One of Hamlin’s Bills teammates, Dane Jackson - who also played with Damar at the University of Pittsburgh - got the attention of Bills’ Director of Player Development, Len Vanden Bos, and pointed out Hamlin’s mother, Nina.
Vanden Bos went to her quickly, and with the help of that security guard, as well as Bills’ security, were able to direct her to a location where she could easily get down by the field, where she eventually did and waited as he was loaded into an ambulance.
Prior to Hamlin being loaded into the ambulance, Bills players formed a large circle around the perimeter of where the medical professionals were working on Hamlin. And from what we know now, that meant trying to revive his heart by performing CPR.
As they were standing, some kneeling, arm-in-arm, or touching each other’s shoulders or holding a hand, many of those same players - as well as coaches and staff - had tears pouring from their faces. Grown men we often see as larger and tougher than life, crying, embracing one another.
Those are the images that will remain embedded in all of us, whether personally on the field or watching on television.
As we move into Tuesday and the rest of the week, with still so much uncertainty on Hamlin’s condition, players will, no doubt, still be looking for comfort within one another.
Over the last few years under general manager Brandon Beane and head coach Sean McDermott, the Bills have been at the forefront of providing as many resources as possible to assist in the mental health of their players, coaches and staff. That’s going to be very important over the next few days and beyond.
After Hamlin had gone into the ambulance and off to the hospital, quite a few people working at Paycor Stadium - from security, to field operations, to media - kept telling me how great of a facility the University of Cincinnati Medical Center is, and how well they will care for the 24-year-old from McKees Rocks, Pennsylvania.
As of Tuesday afternoon, the latest update on Hamlin’s status came from the Bills and reads:
“Damar Hamlin spent last night in the intensive care unit and remains there today in critical condition at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center.
"We are grateful and thankful for the outpouring of support we have received thus far.”
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