Damar Hamlin, an NFL player, collapsed and had a cardiac arrest during a national television broadcast of the match-up between the Buffalo Bills and the Cincinnati Bengals.
The 24-year-old Bills player went down following a collision with an opponent in the first quarter of their game.
After more than 30 minutes of treatment on the field, he was transferred to a nearby hospital, according to a report from BBC.
Matchup Suspended
The NFL called off the game for the evening around one hour after the incident. The Buffalo Bills released a statement thereafter, verifying the cardiac arrest and stating that his heartbeat had been resumed on the field.
On Tuesday morning, the team tweeted that Damar Hamlin was having more tests and treatment while under sedation.
Many players from both the Bills and the Bengals surrounded him, clearly concerned after the incident. In the first quarter, Hamlin was struck hard in the chest by Bengals receiver Tee Higgins, who was racing upfield after a reception. After the play, Damar Hamlin stood up and then fainted, per CBS Sports.
Both coaches spoke with the on-field officials after the injury, per Yahoo! Sports. The game was put on hold for a while around 9:17 p.m., almost 20 minutes after Hamlin fell. The two teams returned to their respective changing rooms.
The game was called off less than an hour later when ESPN aired a video showing Bengals head coach Zac Taylor and Bills head coach Sean McDermott switching off on mobile phone conversations outside of the locker rooms beneath the stadium.
According to reporters on the scene, Hamlin received CPR while out on the field. It took more than 15 minutes to get Damar Hamlin off the field after he fell. Without providing an immediate update on if or when the game will be played, ESPN announced on the broadcast a little after 10 p.m. ET that it had been canceled for the evening.
During a conference call, NFL Executive VP of Football Operations Troy Vincent noted that they had observed the coaches and players were "traumatized" and decided to temporarily halt the game.
Hamlin's GoFundMe Toy Drive Campaign Goes Over $4 Million
After Hamlin's cardiac arrest incident, donations to a charity gift drive he founded in 2020 reached over $4.2 million as of the present report,
The Washington Post reported that the Damar Hamlin GoFundMe campaign commenced while he was a college athlete at Pittsburgh, and its goal was to raise $2,500 for his mother Nina's daycare establishment in McKees Rocks, Pa., west of Pittsburgh.
"As I embark on my journey to the NFL, I will never forget where I come from, and I am committed to using my platform to positively impact the community that raised me. I created The Chasing M's Foundation as a vehicle that will allow me to deliver that impact, and the first program is the 2020 Community Toy Drive.," Hamlin stated on the GoFundMe page.
The statement added that the Damar Hamlin GoFundMe gives individuals the chance to "positively impact children who have been hardest hit by the pandemic," noting that 100% of the funds raised will be utilized to buy toys for underprivileged kids.
Some Damar Hamlin toy drive donors expressed well wishes for the NFL star. Donor Jim Barricks posted, "Damar is a wonderful human being and I'm happy to support his cause...praying he makes a full and speedy recovery."
Paula Bonnin said, "My prayers are with you, Damar! You can make it! I've seen it happen! God Bless You!"
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