Soccer player Damar Hamlin is making progress after suffering cardiac arrest in an NFL game, but he’s now woken up. The Buffalo Bills must now focus on the next game.
Cincinnati (AP) – Damar Hamlin had just woken up after suffering a dramatic cardiac arrest on the field when he thought back to American football.
The first thing the 24-year-old pro soccer player wanted to know after regaining consciousness in hospital after collapsing during a game on Monday was whether his team, the Buffalo Bills, had won their game against the Cincinnati Bengals. “Damar, you won the game of your life,” replied his doctor, Timothy Pritts.
Hamlin still had to send his most pressing questions in writing. According to the Buffalo Bills, he still hasn’t been able to speak because he still has an oxygen supply tube in his mouth. The NFL pro delivered the most important message without words. “That’s typical of Damar. Who thinks of his teammates first and doesn’t feel sorry for himself. As a teammate, you can only love that answer,” Bills quarterback Josh Allen said of his teammate’s first question. squad.
Hamlin on the mend
Since collapsing last Monday when Hamlin went into cardiac arrest and required CPR, the 24-year-old has shown “significant improvement,” the Bills said. “Although he’s still in critical condition, he’s neurologically fine,” the team said of him. Hamlin can once again grab other people’s hands and communicate in writing.
“It seems like all the cylinders in her brain are firing, which is very encouraging for all of us. While she still has significant progress to make, this marks a good turning point in her ongoing treatment,” Pritts said.
US President Joe Biden tweeted of “great news. Damar, as I told your mother and father, Jill and I – along with all of America – are praying for you and your family.” Biden had already spent a lot of time on the phone with Hamlin’s parents.
Meanwhile, the Buffalo Bills also spoke to Hamlin’s father, and Bills head coach Sean McDermott was encouraged to refocus on the sport: “His message was: The team should refocus on the goals it set set Damar would have liked that And we owe it to Damar,” said McDermott. Then the Bills slightly changed their current motto from “Pray for 3” to “Play for 3”. Three is Hamlin’s shirt number.
Bills wants to win for Hamlin
“We want to go out there and play for the number three and he’s going to be a driving force for us,” Allen said. Because the stakes are still high for the Bills. The team still has a chance for the best record in the AFC after the main round and a bye in the first round of the playoffs.
On the final day of Sunday’s main round, the Bills host the New England Patriots. The game against the Bengals will not be continued or replayed, the NFL announced. Given that the Bills and Bengals will finish the main round with 16 instead of 17 games, the league has developed various scenarios to avoid injustice in the standings. The owners of the teams will vote on this.
However, returning to action on Sunday without Hamlin will not be easy for the team. “I’d be lying if I said some people didn’t change forever after this incident,” Allen said. “But the helmet [im Training] Coming back to land has been a really good thing for us as a team.”
