The NFL community supports Damar Hamlin throughtout his recovery

By GRANT LUPIEN ’23 STAFF WRITER

The NFL must see Damar Hamlin’s unfortunate accident as a wake-up call.

The severity of injuries that occur during the regular course of a game, such as after a routine tackle, often go overlooked. Players from across the NFL have expressed their concern with how easily serious injuries can happen to anyone.

On January 2, in a crucial game for the top seed in the AFC, Damar Hamlin, a safety for the Buffalo Bills, took a hit to the chest during a routine tackle from the Cincinnati Bengals’ wide receiver Tee Higgins. Damar stood up from the hit, attempted to walk away, and collapsed in the middle of the field.

Damar went into cardiac arrest. Fortunately, CPR was immediately given to Damar, and paramedics eventually transferred him off the field and to the nearest hospital. The game was delayed and then later canceled, with changes being made to the AFC playoffs to adjust for the canceled game.

While the exact cause of the cardiac arrest is still unknown, experts believe Damar’s heart may have gone into an arrhythmia. This condition is caused by a blow to the chest area in the precise time window of 20 milliseconds while the heart is relaxing in between pumps.

Since the injury, Damar has been released from the hospital and met with his team before their playoff meeting with the Miami Dolphins. The effects of the injury have been far-reaching and have served as a wake-up call to sports medicine and injuries. Bills’ trainer

Denny Kellington has since been credited with saving Damar’s life and has been praised as the epitome of a fast and hardworking medical trainer.

Players throughout not only the NFL but sports have made comments about player safety, with basketball star Lebron James commenting player safety “is always the most important.”

In addition to attention being brought to sports injuries and treatment, Damar’s charity, Chasing M’s Toy Drive, received 8.7 million dollars in donations. The initial goal of his GoFundMe campaign was to raise 2,500 dollars, but with the united support of sports fans around the world, Damar was able to well exceed his initial hopes. With this money, Damar plans to “support young people through education and sports” adding that he will be donating a portion of the money to various nonprofits across the country. In the week following the injury, nu- merous changes were made to honor Damar, with each stadium painting their 30yard line a different color in respect to Damar as he wore number 3.

Football is one of the most dangerous sports to participate in, and while new rules continue to be implemented for the sake of player safety, the NFL needs to work with the NFL Players Association to prioritize player safety. In conjunction with this reevaluation of injury protocol, the NFL should celebrate the aptitude and swiftness of the trainer Denny Kellington and continue to promote him as the primary example of a top-notch trainer.

Despite the Bills not being in the Super Bowl, the city of Buffalo has united behind the same cause, and the world of sports will watch to see how far Damar Hamlin’s teammates can carry his dream.