Tampa Bay Buccaneers receiver Russell Gage was set to be released from hospital on Tuesday following a scary hit during his team’s playoff defeat to Dallas.
Two weeks after Buffalo player Damar Hamlin’s cardiac arrest shocked the NFL, Gage’s injury on Monday triggered more alarming scenes in a primetime game.
The 26-year-old was flattened during a collision with Cowboys defender Donovan Wilson near the end of the Bucs’ 31-14 playoff loss.
Gage appeared unable to get up following the hit to his head and neck, with his arms twitching involuntarily as he lay on the field.
Play was interrupted for several minutes before he was stretchered away and later taken to hospital.
Tampa Bay head coach Todd Bowles told reporters Tuesday Gage had suffered a concussion and was due to leave hospital.
“He just has a concussion and should be released this afternoon,” Bowles said. “His neck is fine and right now he has all his extremities moving.”
Gage meanwhile took to Twitter to thank wellwishers for messages of support.
“I just wanted to let you all know that I’m doing great and in great spirits!” the receiver wrote on the social media site.
Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin, who suffered a cardiac arrest during an NFL game, remained hospitalized in critical condition Tuesday while the league said the suspended contest would not resume this week.
The 24-year-old defensive back collapsed Monday night after receiving a hard hit in the chest while tackling receiver Tee Higgins during the first quarter of the Bills’ game at Cincinnati.
Medical workers restored Hamlin’s heartbeat on the field while working for 30 minutes as players from both teams wept and worried, the horrific scene viewed by a national television audience and a stadium crowd stunned into silence.
Hamlin was taken from the stadium in an ambulance and the pivotal contest between playoff-bound NFL clubs, led 7-3 by Cincinnati, was halted.
Responses about Damar Hamlin
“Damar Hamlin spent last night in the intensive care unit and remains there today in critical condition at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center,” the Bills said in a statement.
“We are grateful and thankful for the outpouring of support we have received thus far.”
The NFL announced the Bills-Bengals game would not be completed this week, with no guarantee it would be finished, and said next weekend’s final regular-season games remain as scheduled.
“The NFL has made no decision regarding the possible resumption of the game at a later date,” an NFL statement said. “The league has not made any changes to the week 18 regular-season schedule.”
That means the NFL expects the Bills (12-3) to play host to New England (8-8) on Sunday in a game with playoff qualifying and seeding implications.
Image of Damar Hamlin, from his Twitter profile.
Dorrian Glenn, identified by several US media outlets as Hamlin’s uncle, said his nephew had to be resuscitated twice, once on the field and again after arriving at the hospital.
“It’s just heartbreaking seeing him like that,” Glenn said. “We were all in tears. I never cried so hard in my life just to know that my nephew basically died on the field and they brought him back to life… It really was a gut punch.”
Buffalo television station WIVB reported Glenn said doctors had reduced Hamlin’s oxygen levels from 100 percent to 50 percent, a sign his breathing was stronger.
“I know he’s fighting,” Glenn said.
The NFL Players Association tweeted mental health and counseling information to all players in America’s most violent and most popular sport.
“We continue to be in touch with the clubs and NFL to ensure that Bills and Bengals players have every resource available to aid and support them during this time,” an NFLPA statement said.
NFL players and supporters, including US President Joe Biden, hoped Hamlin, who remains sedated, will fully recover.
“The President has seen the horrific news. We hope his condition and his health improves quickly,” White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre said.
‘I was shook up’
Seven-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady, the 45-year-old quarterback who ended a brief retirement to play this season, tweeted: “Moments like this put into perspective what it means to play this game we love.”
“I was shook up,” 39-year-old Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers said on the Pat McAfee Show. “Your football mortality comes right face to face. One of your brothers in the fraternity of the NFL is fighting for his life right now.
“Whether you are currently playing or done playing, you’re shook about this because you just never thought you would see something like this on the field.”
A GoFundMe page supporting Hamlin’s foundation, which sought $2,500 for youth charity programs, has more than $5.3 million in contributions, with family members saying the money will also go to “Damar’s current battle.”
“We want to express our sincere gratitude for the love and support shown to Damar during this challenging time,” Hamlin’s family said in a statement.
“We are deeply moved by the prayers, kind words and donations from fans around the country… Your generosity and compassion mean the world to us.”
Other sports teams supported Hamlin, with NFL clubs tagging social media with “Pray for Damar” messages. The NHL Buffalo Sabres wore “Love for 3” shirts noting Hamin’s jersey number into the arena at Washington, where a moment of silence and round of applause were tributes for Hamlin.
Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin, who suffered a cardiac arrest during an NFL game, was improving Wednesday but still in critical condition as other players began preparing for weekend contests.
The 24-year-old defensive back collapsed Monday night after receiving a hard hit in the chest while tackling Cincinnati receiver Tee Higgins during the first quarter.
Medical workers restored Hamlin’s heartbeat on the field and he was taken from the stadium to a hospital by ambulance, while the game was halted with the host Bengals leading 7-3.
Updates on Hamlin
“Damar remains in the ICU (intensive care unit) in critical condition with signs of improvement noted yesterday and overnight,” the Bills said Wednesday in a statement.
“He is expected to remain under intensive care as his health care team continues to monitor and treat him.”
Fans gathered outside the Bills’ home stadium to conduct a prayer vigil for Hamlin.
“Right now things are moving in a positive direction,” said Jordon Rooney, a friend and marketing representative of Hamlin.
US President Joe Biden spoke at length with Hamlin’s parents and told reporters when asked about the NFL that “… it is dangerous. We’ve got to just acknowledge it.”
NFL players returned to workouts on Wednesday ahead of the final weekend of regular-season games, with the New England Patriots set to visit the Bills on Sunday.
“We’re all handling it in different ways,” Bills offensive tackle Dion Dawkins said.
The Bills conducted team meetings and a walkthrough practice session Wednesday but media sessions were canceled.
NFL executive vice president of football operations Troy Vincent said NFL officials have not spoken about canceling the Bills-Patriots game, but said Bills coach Sean McDermott and Buffalo players will guide such matters.
“We’ve not had that discussion,” Vincent said. “We’ll allow Sean, his team, his staff and the players — which are the most important thing here — to guide us if we have to make that decision.”
The NFL says the Bills-Bengals game, a key game for playoff seeding, will not be completed this week and might never be finished.
“Everything is being considered,” Vincent said.
An NFL spokesman said a decision would be made “in the coming days” in consultation with the Bills and Bengals.
Cincinnati quarterback Joe Burrow said his team will support whatever the Bills decide.
“Whatever Buffalo would want to do would be what we would want to do as well,” he said. “We’re behind them 100% in whatever they would decide.”
In the meantime, NFL players still coping with the shock of Hamlin’s injury were preparing to return to the gridiron. That included the Bengals, who entertain Baltimore on Sunday.
“It’s a weird feeling going back to business as usual,” Burrow said. “Unfortunate as it is, we’ve got a game to play on Sunday. I don’t know what to say. It’s such a scary, emotional time.”
Burrow said he wanted to play to try and get back to normal as quickly as possible but admitted feelings were mixed about playing Sunday.
“We haven’t had that discussion as a team,” Burrow said. “There were definitely some side discussions about that.
“I’m sure if you polled the locker room there would be mixed votes… I think playing is going to be tough.”
Bengals coach Zac Taylor said it was important to move forward yet offer support to those struggling to cope.
“We can still provide support for the players that need more of that,” Taylor said. “You’re able to have space to do that and at the same time move forward as a team to focus on Baltimore on Sunday.”
‘Nobody is fine’
That same difficult balance was being attempted around the league.
“Nobody is fine,” Dallas Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy said. “It’s definitely a heavy, sensitive day.
“We obviously know what’s in front of us professionally. Our spirituality playbook was open today and we’re working through it.”
A GoFundMe page for Hamlin’s youth charity foundation, which the family said will also be used to support “Damar’s current battle” had raised more than $6.8 million.
Buffalo Bills player Damar Hamlin was discharged from hospital in Cincinnati on Monday, just a week after suffering a cardiac arrest during an NFL game, medical staff confirmed.
Hamlin was released from the University of Cincinnati Medical Center and flew to Buffalo where he will continue his recovery at another hospital.
Hamlin discharged from hospital
“We are thrilled and proud to share that Damar Hamlin has been released from the hospital and returned to Buffalo,” UC Medical Center said.
“He is doing well and this is the next stage of his recovery.”
In separate posts on Twitter, Hamlin thanked medical staff in Cincinnati while paying tribute to the outpouring of goodwill across the sporting world.
“Grateful for the awesome care I received at UCMC,” Hamlin wrote, adding that staff at his new hospital, Buffalo General Medical Center, have “already made me feel at home!”
“Watching the world come together around me on Sunday was truly an amazing feeling,” Hamlin added in a separate tweet.
“The same love you all have shown me is the same love that I plan to put back into the world ‘n more.”
The 24-year-old safety was left in critical condition last Monday after collapsing during the Bills’ clash with the Cincinnati Bengals, forcing the abandonment of the game.
The scary incident shocked the sports world and once again drew more scrutiny on the physically punishing nature of America’s most popular sport.
Hamlin had made steady progress since being admitted to hospital last week, regaining consciousness on Wednesday before addressing team-mates via a video call on Friday.
University of Cincinnati Medical Center physician William Knight, who accompanied Hamlin to the airport before his transfer to Buffalo on Monday, cautioned it was still too early to say whether the Bills player would resurrect his NFL career.
‘Premature’ comeback talk
“I think we’re in the same place — it’s entirely too premature to discuss not only his football, we’re focused on his day-to-day recovery,” Knight told reporters during a briefing.
“He still has a ways to go in terms of his recovery. We’re thrilled where he is today. He’s up, he’s walking around, he has an amazing sense of humor.
“But in terms of any kind of conjecture about his future, that’s still significantly into the future. It’s going to be up to Damar.”
Knight said doctors in Cincinnati had already been in contact with Hamlin’s medical carers in Buffalo.
“I can confirm he is doing well and this is the beginning of the next stage of his recovery,” he said.
UCMC physician Timothy Pritts added that Hamlin would face ongoing monitoring and tests to determine what had caused his cardiac arrest last week.
“We continue to be ecstatic about his recovery,” Pritts said. “We anticipate that he will undergo an ongoing series of tests and evaluations to determine what caused the incident on Monday night.”
Pritts meanwhile revealed that Hamlin had watched Buffalo’s 35-23 victory over the New England Patriots on Sunday from his hospital room — and had reacted wildly after team-mate Nyheim Hines returned the opening kick-off 96 yards for a touchdown.
“He was beyond excited,” Pritts said. “When the opening kick off was run back he jumped up and down, got up out his chair and set off every alarm possible in the ICU in the process.
“It was an appropriate reaction to a very exciting play.”
Pritts added meanwhile that the normal recovery time for someone in Hamlin’s condition was in the range of “weeks to months.”
“The goal for every patient who has suffered a serious illness or injury is to have them return to as close to baseline as possible,” Pritts said.
“We anticipate that he will have likely ongoing needs – whether that is therapy or networking with various specialists.
“But he appears to be neurologically completely intact and there’s no reason to believe that he won’t continue his path to recovery.”
Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were sent crashing out of the NFL playoffs on Monday as a rampant Dallas Cowboys advanced with a comprehensive 31-14 victory.
Seven-time Super Bowl champion Brady — whose future remains shrouded in uncertainty — cut a miserable figure as his 23rd season came to an abrupt end.
The 45-year-old quarterback, who announced his retirement from the sport last year only to reverse the decision 40 days later, was never able to generate momentum for a lackluster Buccaneers offense.
Instead, it was the Cowboys, led by quarterback Dak Prescott, who dominated throughout to set up a divisional-round playoff clash with the San Francisco 49ers in California next Sunday.
Brady’s solid reputation
Brady had never lost against the Cowboys in seven previous meetings, but the chances of that record being extended on Monday always looked slim.
The only negative for the Cowboys was the form of kicker Brett Maher, who claimed an unwanted piece of NFL history by missing four straight extra point attempts.
The 33-year-old is the first player in NFL history to miss four extra points in a single game.
Maher made 50 of 53 extra points during the regular season, but his form collapsed bizarrely at Tampa’s Raymond James Stadium.
Fortunately for the Cowboys, Maher’s problems in front of the posts were moot, as Prescott and the Dallas offense set about dismantling the Buccaneers’ defense.
Prescott threw four touchdowns and finished with 305 passing yards from 25 of 33 completions.
The 29-year-old connected with tight end Dalton Schultz for a 22-yard completion for the opening touchdown in the first quarter to cap a seven-play 80-yard drive.
Prescott then cleverly scampered over for the second Dallas touchdown, faking a hand-off before sprinting into the endzone unopposed in the second quarter.
Prescott found Schultz for the tight end’s second touchdown of the night to make it 18-0 at half-time.
Michael Gallup collected a two-yard pass from Prescott for Dallas’s fourth touchdown to make it 24-0 in the third quarter, and despite Maher’s problems with the boot, there was to be no way back for Brady and the Buccaneers.
Brady showed a flicker of his old self late in the third quarter with a superbly flighted 30-yard pass to find Julio Jones for a touchdown that made it 24-6.
But Dallas responded emphatically at the start of the fourth quarter with their fifth touchdown of the night.
Dallas coach Mike McCarthy spurned the chance to give Maher a field goal attempt on a 4th&4 and instead Prescott tossed a touchdown pass to a wide-open CeeDee Lamb.
Maher finally drilled an extra point to make it 31-6.
Play was interrupted late in the fourth quarter after an apparent neck injury to Bucs receiver Russell Gage, before Brady connected with Cameron Brate for a second touchdown. A successful two-point conversion made it 31-14.
Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin had a video-call message of love for his teammates on Friday after his breathing tube was removed overnight.
The 24-year-old suffered cardiac arrest in the Bills’ Monday night NFL game against the Bengals in Cincinnati, where he was resuscitated on the field and hospitalized in critical condition at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center (UCMC).
Bills coach Sean McDermott said much of Hamlin’s communication with his teammates on Friday remained through hand signals and gestures — his trademark “heart” sign and a biceps curl flex to indicate strength that drew a chuckle from the coach.
“It was a little hard to hear, he said ‘I love you boys,'” McDermott added. “Of course that got the guys.”
Hamlin collapsed after taking a hard hit to the chest while tackling Bengals receiver Tee Higgins during the first quarter of the nationally televised game.
The frightening scenes saw medical staff restore Hamlin’s heartbeat on the field using cardiopulmonary resuscitation and defibrillators.
Players and personnel from both teams were left stunned, with some crying and praying as doctors treated him.
The game was called off, and the NFL announced on Thursday that it would not be resumed or replayed, leaving both teams with one less game played this season than the other 30 clubs in the league.
The playoff-bound Bills, who still have a chance to capture the AFC’s top seed for a first-round bye and home field advantage, will host the New England Patriots on Sunday in their final regular-season game.
McDermott said Hamlin’s continuing progress had buoyed a team shaken by Monday’s events.
“They’re not robots,” McDermott said of the players. “They’re real people.”
Already thrilled by Thursday’s news that Hamlin was awake and able to communicate by writing, Bills players and team staff were overjoyed to see him on the brief video conference, McDermott said.
“When he came on the screen — to see the players reaction — they stood up right away and clapped for him and yelled some things to him,” McDermott said. “It was a pretty cool exchange for a few seconds there.”
Bills quarterback Josh Allen spoke Thursday of the impact of Monday’s events.
“The scene just plays over and over in your head,” Allen said, adding that the Bills were looking forward to a chance to “love up on” Hamlin when they can see him in person.
Fans around the country have also been galvanized by Hamlin’s experience, holding vigils in both Buffalo and Cincinnati and donating millions of dollars to his charity toy drive GoFundMe.
The Bills had tweeted Friday morning that Hamlin’s breathing tube had been removed.
“He continues to progress remarkably in his recovery,” the team said. “His neurologic function remains intact and he has been able to talk to his family and care team.”
Timothy Pritts, a doctor at UCMC, said Thursday that when Hamlin first woke up, he asked whether the Bills had won the game.
“The answer is yes, Damar, you won the game of life,” Pritts said.
