Ravens Players, Coaches Still Shaken Up by Damar Hamlin Situation

Ravens players discuss the dangers of the sport.

OWINGS MILLS, Md.— The Ravens players were back at practice this week, but their thoughts were with Bills safety Damar Hamlin, who went into cardiac arrest Monday night against the Bengals. 

Hamlin is still in critical condition.

Here's what the Ravens players had to say about the situation:

Coach John Harbaugh: "Our hearts go out to him and his family, and how much we respect what happened at the game Monday night, in terms of the medical people and how well they acquitted themselves. [That is] something that we’re really very proud of and impressed by. Also, I was just impressed by the two head coaches, personally. I thought the way they handled it was just exemplary. It was something to be proud of as a coach in this league."

Tight End Mark Andrews: “Just first, it’s just a scary moment trying to put yourself in those players’ shoes. Obviously, you think about Damar [Hamlin]’s family and what they’re going through. It’s tough to see. I think it’s incredible, just the community, the NFL community, the brotherhood, the players, just the prayer that everybody has had for him. I’m praying that he’s going to be OK.”

Defensive End Calais Campbell: “The first thing that comes to my mind is I’ve never seen anybody fall down like that before; it didn’t look like a concussion. We’ve seen guys get up wobbly, and sadly, we’ve [built] callus to that – it’s kind of like a normal thing, in a sense, as bad as that is – but the way he [Damar Hamlin] fell down, I was like, ‘That looks different. It looks a little more serious.’ And you were hearing that they were doing CPR on the field, and you’re just like, ‘Wow, this is like a first.’ Really, I just said an immediate prayer. I was kind of in shock. I’m just hoping that he’s OK."

@Ravens backup QBk Tyler Huntley was limited in practice, which makes his status uncertain for the regular-season finale against the Bengals.
It's still unclear when or if Lamar Jackson will play again.#RavensFlock https://t.co/5n3vFOMSnD

— Todd Karpovich (@toddkarpovich) January 5, 2023

Safety Kyle Hamilton: "I think we might have played against each other my sophomore year, but, obviously, he was on defense. I know he [Damar Hamlin] is a great player. One of my good friends who is in New York now, with the Giants, he played in Buffalo, and he was telling me that he’s a great dude. So, it sucks to see what can happen in the sport that we play and that we all love. It’s unprecedented, and nobody expects this to happen. So, I’m praying for him.”

Cornerback Marlon Humphrey: "I was watching it, but like not really. I did realize – based off how the players’ reactions were – that it was a lot more serious than a typical football injury. A lot of times, you don’t see guys getting too emotional over just a traditional injury, and then once I realized what was going on, it was just weird because it looked like an ordinary play. Obviously, the more you talked about it, it kind of hit home that … Obviously, you say all the time, you put your life on the line kind of playing this game, but it’s crazy for that to really end up like that."