Following the player's heart arrest during a primetime US National Football League game, family members of American football star Damar Hamlin said they are "very moved" by the outpouring of love from the public.
The Buffalo Bills athlete spent the night in the intensive care section of the hospital, and his status is still critical, according to his team.
After striking an opponent during the Monday match, Hamlin lost consciousness. Behind the player are the supporters.
Hamlin got on-field medical care for more than 30 minutes following the accident that occurred during the first quarter of the NFL game before being transported to a nearby hospital. Later, the player's team acknowledged that he had experienced a cardiac arrest and reported that his heartbeat had been restored on the field on Monday.
The NFL announced on Tuesday that its commissioner, Roger Goodell, had spoken with both teams and informed them that the game would not resume this week. The NFL had previously suspended the game between the Buffalo Bills and the Cincinnati Bengals for the evening.
According to the NFL, "no decision" has been made regarding whether the game would resume at a later time.
According to a statement released by the NFL on Tuesday, Hamlin's family expressed their "sincere gratitude for the love and support" they had received from fans, including through contributions to a toy drive he had started. This was their first statement following the incident.
As the NFL season moves closer to its dramatic play-off stages, the on-field incident triggered a wave of support for Hamlin and brought attention back to the risky element of America's most popular sport.
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In the stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio, Hamlin was hitting Bengals receiver Tee Higgins when it looked that Higgins' helmet struck Hamlin in the chest. He got to his feet, then tripped and landed on his back.
As CPR and oxygen were administered to Hamlin by medical personnel, players from both teams crowded around him. Many were observed bowing in prayer, many were seen to be clearly upset, and some were seen to be crying.
While the Cincinnati audience was silent throughout the incident, television coverage frequently cut away from the action on the field.
Rarely are NFL games postponed due to injuries. The fact that the game had halted play, according to the commentators, was evidence of how frightening and serious the problem was.
The matchup between the two teams, who are two of the top Super Bowl hopefuls this year, will take place on a Monday night in prime time during the last week of the NFL's regular season.
The Bills selected Hamlin, a McKees Rock, Pennsylvania native, in the 2021 draft out of the University of Pittsburgh.
Since before he was a professional player, he has received recognition for organizing yearly Christmas toy drives in his hometown.
After Hamlin's breakdown on Monday, a GoFundMe page for the toy drive was reshared and has since raised almost $4 million (£3.3 million).
American football safety has been hotly disputed in recent years, but often the focus has been on concussions rather than cardiac hazards.
Numerous former NFL players suffer from CTE, a degenerative brain disorder that research has connected to repeated head trauma.
In contact sports, blunt trauma is prevalent, but it's uncommon for it to result in heart problems like this.
A chest blow directly to the heart might cause cardiac arrest. At that point, the heart ceases to beat normally and is unable to perform its function of pumping blood throughout the body.
It differs from a heart attack, which occurs when the heart muscle's blood flow is interrupted.
In Hamlin's instance, medical professionals were able to swiftly restart his heartbeat. His internal ailments from the incident, as well as whether his heart has suffered any serious harm, are still unknown.
Buildings all throughout Cincinnati were illuminated in blue on Monday night, including Paycor Stadium, the scene of the incident, as well-wishes for the injured player came in.
A Bills supporter who was present at the time, Bruce Sharpe, described it as "devastating."
