Bills, Bengals - Not NFL - Made Postponement Decision After Damar Hamlin Injury
Monday night's game between the Buffalo Bills and Cincinnati Bengals at Paycor Stadium was brought to an immediate halt following the injury and hospitalization of Bills safety Damar Hamlin.
After taking a hit to the chest, Hamlin hopped up before quickly falling back down and remaining on the turf at Paycor Stadium for several minutes. He was taken to a local hospital and is officially listed in critical condition.
Shortly after Hamlin's injury, the NFL initially set a five-minute window to return to play, but later suspended the contest while players on each side headed to their respective locker rooms.
Just over an hour later, the game was officially postponed - but not by the NFL.
Per TYT via a "variety" of reports, the decision to postpone Monday night's game was made by captains and coaches from both teams, not league commissioner Roger Goodell, who was initially designated to have the final say.
Both coaches - the Bengals' Zac Taylor and Bills' Sean McDermott - met outside of Buffalo's locker room during the suspension, while Cincinnati captains Joe Burrow, D.J. Reader, Ted Karras and Joe Mixon followed suit to check on Bills players.
Taylor and McDermott then had a phone call with a higher-up in the league office and the game was postponed not long after.
The Bills are now set to fly home as prayers flow in from across the nation.
You can follow Daniel Flick on Twitter at @DFlickDraft
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