Cowboys Jerry Jones on Bills' Damar Hamlin: 'Watched in Fear'
He's worth $13 billion with three Super Bowl rings and a bust in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. But on an eerie, unprecedented Monday night, Jerry Jones was all of us.
A frightened football fan.
The Dallas Cowboys owner on Tuesday said he watched in fear as Buffalo Bills' safety Damar Hamlin collapsed on the field in Cincinnati in what we know now was cardiac arrest.
"No, I can't remember watching a game with that kind of fear," Jones said on his weekly radio appearance on 105.3 The Fan. "It was certainly the most different thing that I’ve ever watched."
Different. Difficult. Disturbing. Devastating. Jones' sentiment obviously echoes throughout America.
While Hamlin - who had his heartbeat restored on the field - remains in critical condition in a Cincinnati hospital, Jones said he was proud of the way the scary situation was handled.
"I never got the feeling that there was but one thing in everybody's mind there, and that was his care and his well-being," he said. "It was special to see the emergency care that he had. That care could have very well been a difference-maker. I'm so proud of everyone involved."
The NFL must now make difficult decisions as to how to move forward with not only the conclusion of the crucial Bills-Bengals game, but also its Week 18 schedule.
During its 103-year history, the league has canceled or re-scheduled games because of players' strikes, owners' lockouts, dangerous playing surfaces, natural disasters such as earthquakes, hurricanes, wildfires and blizzards, in the wake of 9/11 and, most recently, because of COVID. But it's also decided to play games despite dire circumstances, such as the Cowboys playing the Browns in Cleveland two days after the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in 1963.
This is an unprecedented situation, without a playbook or clear solution.
"We've pushed a lot of games - important games - to be scheduled the last two weeks of the season," Jones said. "I don’t have what you do there that involves, just as we talked about, an agreement between teams. And, so, we haven’t had any chance to digest any information as to what was agreed upon regarding that game.
"I do know that the right decision was made (to postpone the game). All of the right decisions were made."
There are reports that NFL commissioner Roger Goodell will make an imminent decision on the Bills-Bengals game - ranging from playing the game within two days to potentially adding a Week 19.
Whenever play resumes, Jones said the plan is clear for his team against the Washington Commanders in the regular-season finale. The 12-4 Cowboys have clinched a playoff spot, but are also in play for an NFC East championship and No. 1 seed in the NFC playoffs.
"I like to have the best advantage going into playoffs, so I'd like to have a home game. That's at the top of my list," Jones said. "And of course I'd certainly love to get a bye. It's very important for us to take care of business and beat Washington, or we know none of that is possible."
To that end, Jones said he expects his starters to play and his team to play to win in Washington.
Said Jones, "There's too much to play for."
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