Two Bills Drive

‘“That hit had to occur at a certain point in time that was only five milliseconds long,” said Dr. Marc Cohen, Chairman of the Department of Medicine at Newark-Beth Israel Medical Center. “If that hit occurred one millisecond after or before, this may not have happened.”’

‘Dorrian Glenn, Hamlin’s uncle, told a CNN reporter on-site Tuesday night that Hamlin was resuscitated twice — once on the field and once at the hospital. He also said Hamlin has lung damage but called it “a good sign” that Hamlin is breathing using only 50 percent of a ventilator, down from 100 percent Monday, according to a Syracuse.com report.’

‘A different decision was made 50 years ago. Why is not clear. Maybe it was because there were only 62 seconds of play remaining. Maybe it was because we had become culturally desensitized to loss in general because of the accumulated toll of the Vietnam War. Or perhaps resuming the game was just an extension of what it meant to be a man in those times. The top movies in 1971 included James Bond and introduced us to Dirty Harry and Shaft. The following year we met the Godfather. Four iconic characters renowned for their superhuman invulnerability and emotional detachment. That was the model of men at that cultural moment.’

‘“You look around and you see the medical staff doing their job, and you know when it’s something minor like somebody is down, but they’re sitting up, the guys are moving at a nice pace,” Dawkins told CNN’s Wolf Blitzer on Tuesday night.’

‘The NFL announced Tuesday that the Bills-Bengals game, which was halted Monday night after Buffalo safety Damar Hamlin collapsed and went into cardiac arrest during the first quarter, will not resume this week, and that the league’s Week 18 slate will continue as scheduled.’

‘So what we do know is that football doesn’t matter on this Wednesday any more than it did at 8:55 on Monday night when Damar Hamlin, 24 years old, collapsed from cardiac arrest and could not breathe on his own and fans and players in every sport cried and everyone prayed. And should keep on praying.’

‘The toy drive has become an annual event, with Hamlin and the foundation posting video from 2022 on Instagram last week. The toys are distributed through Kelly and Nina’s Daycare Center — which is co-owned by Hamlin’s mother, Nina Hamlin — in McKees Rocks, Pa.’

‘But that’s just it — there is nothing routine about the NFL. Trust me, what seems to be relatively benign contact between a safety and a receiver from room-temperature conditions in your living room is anything but.’

‘“My natural instinct at that moment is not to talk,” Buck said on the phone. “That’s the last thing I want to do is to put my words to this serious situation. It’s very counterintuitive as the football play-by-play guy about somebody having CPR administered to him in the center of a stadium with 65,000 people in it and a national television audience. It’s just a weird place to be.’

‘While discussing the play and NFL rules during a Tuesday appearance on ESPN’s “First Take,” Scott explained that Higgins lowered his helmet, causing Hamlin’s chest to be exposed during the hit. His comments didn’t go over well on Twitter, with some people accusing him of blaming Higgins for the tragic incident.’

‘The Bills, Bengals and Kansas City Chiefs are in the mix for the No. 1 seed in the conference, which means a first-round playoff bye and home-field advantage throughout the postseason remain up for grabs.’

‘“But when it’s life or death, or an ability to walk or not walk for the rest of your life, that’s mental. It’s like, ‘Man, will I ever be able to get over what I just witnessed?’ I feel for Damar and his family but also his teammates. Because I know the feeling down deep in my soul on whether or not I ever wanted to play football ever again. I’m sure there are a lot of players in the NFL that feel the same way I felt back in 2017.”’

‘And it was Jill Kelly, wife of legendary Bills quarterback Jim Kelly, who helped organize the event, according to multiple reports.’

‘It all speaks volumes about the hearts of Americans: “Last night was supposed to be a great night for the NFL,” said Bengals President Mike Brown. Instead, “humanity and love rose to the forefront.”’