On the night of Jan. 3, Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins caught a pass from Joe Burrow. Higgins then lowered his shoulder as he was being prepared to get tackled by Bills safety Damar Hamlin. Hamlin tackled Higgins, which seemed to be just another normal NFL tackle. 

As Hamlin stood up from tackling Higgins, he instantly collapsed to the ground and went into cardiac arrest; he was unconscious. An ambulance immediately rushed onto the field, first responders and Bills’ medical personnel all went to help Hamlin. His heart stopped and he lost his pulse, so they shocked his heart with an automatic external defibrillator, following up with CPR. 

Bills and Bengals players took a knee and stood around Damar Hamlin as he was lying unconscious. Many of the players were in tears, as they feared for their teammate’s life. It was a very scary moment for everyone.  

“It’s chilling to watch,” said Adam Schefter with ESPN. “I’ve never seen an ambulance on a field.” 

Hamlin was then transported to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center, where he immediately went into the ICU. He remained there for about a week until he was released from ICU and transferred to the Buffalo General Medical Center.  

“Not home quite just yet. Still doing & passing a bunch of test,” said Hamlin via Twitter on Jan. 10. “Special thank-you to Buffalo General it’s been nothing but love since arrival! Keep me in y’all prayers please! #3strong.” 

All things considered, Damar Hamlin’s injury was one of the worst the league has seen. Many players on both teams were in tears, fearing for not only their teammate’s ability to play but also his life.