Bengals receiver Tee Higgins, who was involved in the final play just before a frightening scene unfolded at Paycor Stadium on Monday night, tweeted a message of support for Bills safety Damar Hamlin early Tuesday morning.
Hamlin suffered a cardiac arrest on the field during the first quarter of the Monday Night Football game in Cincinnati, according to a Tuesday morning tweet from the Bills. His heartbeat was restored on the field but he is currently sedated and remains in critical condition at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center.
Higgins, who was tackled by Hamlin on the play just before the 24-year-old safety collapsed, took to social media like much of the NFL world has over the last 12 hours, to wish Hamlin a speedy recovery.
“My prayers and thoughts go out to @HamlinIsland the Hamlin Family,” he wrote. “I’m praying that you pull through bro. Love.”
Monday’s game came to a stop after Hamlin initially got up off the ground following the tackle on Higgins but then collapsed. Medical personnel administered CPR to Hamlin on the field and then took him away in an ambulance.
Hamlin was transferred to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center. He was accompanied in the ambulance by his mother, play-by-play announcer Joe Buck said during ESPN’s broadcast.
After the ambulance left the field, the Bills and Bengals were reportedly given a brief time period to collect themselves before resuming play. However, both teams left the field and returned to the locker room a short while later, as the game officially entered what was called a temporary suspension.
Approximately an hour later, the NFL announced that the game had been postponed.
Hamlin was drafted by the Bills in the sixth round in 2021. He played five years at Pittsburgh, recording 185 tackles in college.
