Dan Campbell Reacts to Damar Hamlin Cardiac Arrest
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The NFL world is still in shock regarding the medical emergency suffered by Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin on Monday Night Football.
After being hit by Bengals wideout Tee Higgins in the first quarter, Hamlin stood up briefly, before suddenly collapsing.
After being administered CPR by medical personnel for several minutes, the 24-year-old safety was transported to a local hospital, where he has remained in critical condition after suffering cardiac arrest.
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"Our thoughts are with Damar and the Buffalo Bills. We will provide more information as it becomes available,'' the league said in a statement. "The NFL has been in constant communication with the NFL Players Association which is in agreement with postponing the game."
Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell understands the sensitive nature of consoling players after an on-field incident.
Earlier this season, rookie defensive back Saivion Smith was carted off the field against the New England Patriots as the team stood by, wondering what had occurred to its teammate.
Speaking with 97.1 The Ticket Tuesday morning, Campbell shared his thoughts regarding what transpired in Cincinnati.
"It turned from one thing into something totally different. And, that's when reality hits like, 'Well, this is not the norm.' Our thoughts and prayers go out to him, his family, everybody involved, the whole Buffalo Bills family and everybody that was out there in that moment," said Campbell.
"When you go through all that, what you go through with guys and injuries --- injuries happen, you know. You learn to move on. But, I can only imagine being out there, and that's one of your brothers and you realize things get real in a hurry. You're trying to get him back, and that'll shake you, man. I'm just, I'm glad they did the right thing and didn't finish that out last night. That wouldn't have been smart. So, thoughts and prayers for them."
For Campbell and many others involved in the sport of football, there must be moments of trepidation and inner struggle. They constantly wrestle with being involved in a very violent sport, while at the same time getting in a mental head space regularly in order to be able to play fast and physical.
"There's such a fine line, right? There's a balance between understanding that there is risk in this game that we all sign up for, but also understanding that at some point, man, it goes beyond that," Campbell expressed.
"That's the scary side of it that you really don't want to even think about. I sure as heck never did. I think if you start thinking too much into it, you'll never want to play this game. And, that's where you got to be careful. I know it's something we've got to talk about, because it's out there and this is a real human being and those are his brothers out there. That's something that just won't ever leave you. And, the only thing I hate is that it was out there as long as it was out there, honestly. I know everybody just thought it was, is it a normal injury or something different? But, it's tough. It's tough. It's tough to see. It'd be tough for our players to see."
