Damar Hamlin’s Frightening Injury

By Henry Sacks ‘26
The highly anticipated matchup between the Cincinnati Bengals and Buffalo Bills on January 2nd, 2023 lasted for only one-half of the first quarter due to an on-field emergency. As Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow stepped back in the pocket and threw the ball to Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins, Bills safety Damar Hamlin was injured. As Hamlin attempted to tackle Higgins and then get up again, the safety fell straight to the ground on his back. 

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Trainers from the Buffalo Bills staff immediately rushed onto the field to assist Hamlin, while TV stations went to commercial breaks, leaving fans unaware of Hamiln’s status. 
Hamlin received CPR and help from training staff for nearly ten minutes, until he was finally put in an ambulance and sent to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center for further medical assistance.
“As I was watching on TV, I did not really know what was happening to Damar but I knew that something bad was happening and this was something I had never seen before,” said freshman Simeon Migdal.
Just like the fans, Bills players were unsatisfied with the information they were receiving about Hamlin’s medical condition. As teams were sent to the locker room to recover their composure, the National Football League administration considered canceling the game due to the severity of the injury and the impact it had on the players.
Within a few minutes, the NFL made an executive decision to cancel the event, implying that Hamlin was in critical condition. 
“Even though I am not a big fan of football, I was seeing many posts on social media that informed me of what was happening,” commented freshman Arielle Karni on the media’s response to Hamlin’s injury.
After being in critical condition for several days, Hamlin awoke and asked one question to the surrounding doctors: “Who won the game?” The doctors responded, “You won, you won the game of life.” 
As Hamlin recovered, a previously little known charity project of his, a GoFundMe for a toy drive, made headlines. Over the weeks following his injury, Hamlin’s cause had collected over 7 million dollars. 
“It was really great to see how fans around the world came together to support Hamlin through his difficult times,” said freshman Ashton Weiss.
At the time of the injury, it was unknown who was administering CPR or attending to Hamlin, and only afterwards was Bills assistant athletic trainer Danny Kellington credited as the man who ultimately saved Hamlin’s life. Kellington’s actions garnered so much recognition since January 2nd that he received an MVP vote at the 2023 NFL Honors event in February. 
Afterwards, Hamlin was transferred to a local hospital in Buffalo where he was monitored, and was later discharged and sent home. 
Hamlin has made many public appearances since the incident, attending the Buffalo Bills’ playoff games, Super Bowl LVII and the 2023 NBA All-Star Game.
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