Commanders Coach Ron Rivera 'Praying' For Bills DB Damar Hamlin
With Week 18 on the horizon, Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin remains at the forefront of everyone’s mind.
Before his press conference opened for questions on Wednesday, Washington Commanders head coach Ron Rivera gave an opening statement and spoke about Hamlin and the Bills.
“First, I wanna start off by opening up and giving our thoughts and prayers as an organization to Damar Hamlin, his family, his friends, the Buffalo Bills organization and the community of Buffalo,” Rivera said. “We know it was a terrifying situation that transpired, and we're praying for Damar and hoping that he's able to make a full recovery.”
With just under six minutes left to play in the first quarter on Monday Night Football, Hamlin made a tackle on Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins. The timing and impact on Hamlin’s chest forced him into cardiac arrest. The medical staff gave Hamlin CPR for nine minutes, then used an AED to restore Hamlin’s heartbeat.
An ambulance took Hamlin to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center, a level-one trauma center. Hamlin remains in critical condition but has shown signs of improvement.
In the aftermath of Hamlin’s injury, Washington has people in the building to help players and coaches if needed.
“We talked about what happened in our team meeting this morning,” Rivera said. “We talked about the mental help people are available. If any players have any concerns or questions they want to talk about and then Coach [Randy] Jordan led us in a team prayer.”
Sam Howell will make the first start of his NFL career on Sunday when Washington hosts the Dallas Cowboys at 4:25 p.m., all while everyone’s mind will be with Hamlin as he continues to improve and hopefully one day makes a full recovery.
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