During Monday night’s game against the Bengals, Bills safety Damar Hamlin collapsed on the field in a horrifying spectacle. The NFL asserts that there was no plan to restart the game, despite ESPN’s “Monday Night Football” broadcast continually stating otherwise.
Hamlin, 24 years old, experienced a heart arrest after tackling Cincinnati receiver Tee Higgins in the first quarter, resulting in the suspension of the game. However, it took the league a long time to formally cancel the game for the evening, and ESPN noted on the broadcast that despite the horrible situation developing on the field, the league initially told the players they had five minutes to warm up before the game resumed.
Now, the NFL denies that this was true.
According to Pro Football Talk, NFL executive vice president of football operations Troy Vincent stated on a Tuesday morning media conference call, “I have no idea where that came from.” “There was no warm-up session for the players, to be honest. Frankly, the only thing we requested was that [referee] Shawn [Smith] connect with both head coaches to ensure they had adequate time in the locker room to consider what they believed to be the appropriate course of action.
“Therefore, I’m uncertain where that comes from. Personally, a five-minute warmup never crossed my thoughts. In addition, I was the one talking with the Commissioner. We never, honestly, considered discussing warming up before resuming play. That is ludicrous. That is inconsiderate. And that is not a place we should ever find ourselves.”
Joe Buck stated many times during ESPN’s presentation of the game that both coaches and teams were given “five minutes to warm up” while Hamlin lay unconscious on the field. It appeared that, after receiving the warning, Bengals head coach Zac Taylor stepped across the field and met with Bills head coach Sean McDermott. After the two coaches exchanged words, each team returned to its locker room, and it was reported that the game had been “temporarily suspended.”
“The league is free to say anything it want about [playing the game]… Scott Van Pelt claimed on Monday evening’s “SportsCenter” that a group of men joined arms on opposite sides of a sideline and said “no we’re not.”
The context made it evident to everyone that this game could not be played at the moment, so I believe the correct decision was made.
It took more than an additional half-hour for the game to be suspended for the evening, prompting many on Twitter to brand the league insulting for its insensitivity.
According to the Bills’ Twitter feed, Hamlin was sedated and in critical condition as of early Tuesday morning after experiencing a cardiac episode. He was transferred to a nearby Cincinnati hospital with a level 1 trauma center.
»NFL denies ESPN’s “five minutes” allegation after Damar Hamlin collapses on field«