BUFFALO, N.Y. — Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin was taken off the field Monday night with an apparent serious injury after making a tackle on Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins.
Higgins led with his right shoulder, which hit Hamlin in the chest. Hamlin then wrapped his arms around Higgins' shoulders and helmet to drag him down. Hamlin got to his feet, appeared to adjust his face mask with his right hand, and then fell backward about three seconds later and lay motionless.
Medical officials treated Hamlin on the field and CPR was performed on him. He was taken by ambulance to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center.
Former NFL team physician Dr. David Chao spoke to 2 On Your Side about Buffalo Bills' safety Damar Hamlin collapsing on the field during the game against the Cincinnati Bengals.
"My heart just sank when I saw it on the replay. In the initial you're right, it looked fairly routine, a routine hit... I mean, it's unheard of, you know, clearly was something related to his heart. It wasn't the concussion thing. And, you know, obviously, our prayers go out to him, that's what CPR is all about. He's in critical condition. The breathing tube is normal for anyone in critical condition. Obviously, it's not normal to have a breathing tube. And all I can say is that you never want a young man or any person to collapse. But if you're going to collapse, unless you're in the hospital, there is no better place than an NFL field. There are over two dozen medical professionals."
You can watch Dr. Chao's full interview here: