CBS Sports

‘Sanders went to Woodland Hills and Hamlin played his high school ball at Central Catholic, and that’s where the two were able to spark a friendship. They each stayed in the state to play college ball as well, with Sanders starring at Penn State, while Hamlin went to Pitt. Two years ago, they, along with a trio of other Pittsburgh natives in the NFL, founded the Pittsburgh to Pro camp, which is a free summer football camp for 300 Pittsburgh youths.’

‘This scenario involves the Kansas City chiefs, Buffalo Bills, and Cincinnati Bengals — all of which were eligible for the No. 1 seed heading into Week 17. Kansas City won its Week 17 matchup while the Buffalo-Cincinnati game was canceled after Damar Hamlin suffered cardiac arrest and collapsed on the field. Buffalo and Cincinnati will play 16 games while the rest of the NFL will play the full 17-game slate.’

‘The NFL world has come together in support for Hamlin and his family, donating millions to his charity, The Chasing M’s Foundation. Since the injury, players and coaches around the league have sent their support to Hamlin as each update on his health became available.’

‘The NFL is also giving the Ravens a chance to possibly host a wild card game even though Baltimore will be finishing in second place in the AFC North no matter what happens on Sunday against the Bengals. Even if the Ravens win, that would put them at 11-6, which would still be a half game behind Cincinnati, which would finish 11-5 with a loss.’

‘On Friday, the Bills provided a positive update on Hamlin, saying his breathing tube was removed, indicating he is breathing on his own. The team added that Hamlin “continues to progress remarkably in his recovery. His neurologic function remains intact and he has been able to talk to his family and care team,” per the physicians at UCMC.’

‘There is no precedent for what the NFL is facing right now. Never before has an NFL game started, been postponed and never resumed, according to CBS Sports research. And not since 1935 has the league had a season where some teams play more games than others, when Philadelphia and Boston each played 11 games in a 12-game schedule, with their game being canceled due to bad weather.’

‘”We had significant concern about him after the injury, but he is making substantial progress,” Dr. Timothy Pritts, of the University of Cincinnati Medical Center, told reporters via conference call. “As of (Thursday) morning, he is beginning to awaken, and it appears that his neurologic function is intact.”‘

‘”Mario, [Hamlin’s father], talking to us as a team, he kinda told us — demanded us — [to play for his son], and you can’t not honor his request to go out there and charge forward to the best of our abilities,” Allen said. “Today’s news was a lot of tears of joy, but … that’s what he wants, that’s what his dad wants, and guys are excited to get out there. … We wanna go out there and play for 3. It’ll be a huge driving force.”‘

‘Under the proposal that will be voted on by owners, the AFC Championship could potentially become a neutral-site game if any of the three following scenarios are met…’.

‘”While still critically ill, he has demonstrated that he appears to be neurologically intact,” the Bills said in a statement on Thursday. “His lungs continue to heal and he is making steady progress.”‘

‘The frightening event sent shockwaves through, not only the sports world, but the world at large. This week, U.S. President Joe Biden even spoke with Hamlin’s mother and father, via Bloomberg News. On Wednesday, the Bills gave an update on their player, saying Hamlin has shown some signs of improvement, but that he remains in critical condition.’

‘”Obviously we’re going to have to make a decision on that in the coming days, which we will. But there’s a lot of considerations in place there and a lot of people that we want to consult with — including the clubs involved — before that decision is final.”‘

‘The Bills only have a walkthrough and meetings scheduled, opposed to a full practice, the team announced.’

‘Higgins, who was seen visibly distraught in the aftermath of Monday night’s events, was unfortunately not spared from criticism for his role in the play, which ranged from hateful online comments to being blamed for the situation outright by former NFL linebacker Bart Scott.’

‘Fanatics co-chair Michael Rubin tweeted that Fanatics, the NFL and the NFLPA are donating all proceeds of Hamlin’s jersey sales to the Chasing M Foundation, the charity Hamlin started in 2020.’