Jan. 5 (UPI) — Damar Hamlin appears to be “neurologically intact” and has shown “remarkable improvement” since his on-field cardiac arrest, but remains critically ill, the Buffalo Bills cited Thursday.
The Bills cited reports they received from physicians at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center in their Thursday morning update. They also said Hamlin’s lungs continue to heal and he is making “steady progress.”
Hamlin is being treated in the intensive care unit, where he has been since Monday.
Bills players and coaches reunited for the first time since his collapse Wednesday in Orchard Park, N.Y for meetings and a walkthrough-style practice, while friends and family continue to visit Hamlin.
Fellow Bills defensive back Kaiir Elam also tweeted Thursday that Hamlin was showing “more signs of improvement.” Indianapolis Colts safety Rodney Thomas II, Hamlin’s high school teammate and childhood friend, visited Hamlin on Wednesday in Cincinnati.
“It calmed me way down,” Thomas told CNN. “It made the trip home a lot easier. I could go home and know he’s gonna be straight, I got him. We all got him. Everybody’s behind him.
“You see what’s going on, everybody’s behind him. And when he walks out of there and he sees the support he has, it’s going to be a real special day.”
Sources told NFL Network and ESPN that Mario Hamlin, Hamlin’s father, spoke to Bills players during a Zoom call Wednesday and that the team “needed it.”
The NFL suspended the Bills’ Week 17 game against the Cincinnati Bengals after Hamlin and wide receiver Tee Higgins collided in the first quarter Monday in Cincinnati.
Hamlin stood up and then collapsed when his heart stopped. On-site medical professionals administered CPR and resuscitated him, and he was then taken by ambulance and taken to the hospital.
The emotional scene featured the tear-filled faces of Bills and Bengals players as they watched their colleague driven out of Paycor Stadium. A record viewership audience also tuned in for the dramatic sequence.
Nielson told CNN that 23,788,000 viewers watched ABC, ESPN and ESPN2 from 8:30 to 10:09 p.m. EST, resulting in the most-watched Monday Night Football game since ESPN picked up the NFL series in 2006.
The resumption of that game remains in limbo. The NFL announced Tuesday that the Bills-Bengals contest, suspended in the first quarter with the Bengals leading 7=3, will not resume this week.
The league also said this week that the Bengals’ Week 18 game against the Baltimore Ravens will be played at 1 p.m. EST Sunday in Cincinnati. The Bills’ game against the New England Patriots also remains scheduled for a 1 p.m. kickoff Sunday in Orchard Park.
NFL executive vice president of football operations Troy Vincent told reporters on a conference call Wednesday that “everything is being considered” related to the suspended Bengal-Bills game, including cancellation, playing it after the final week of the season, delaying the playoffs or eliminating the pre-Super Bowl bye week.
On Wednesday, the Bills made a transaction linked to Hamlin, signing safety Jared Mayden off the New York Jets practice squad. They released cornerback Xavier Rhodes in a corresponding move.
Amid the uncertainty of Hamlin’s hospitalization, widespread support for the Bills safety continues to bring fans and other well-wishers together.
Stadiums around the sports world have been lit up in the Bills’ red, white and blue colors. Each NFL team also changed its Twitter avatar to a photo that reads “Pray for Damar,” and includes his No. 3.
The fundraiser, which started with a goal of $2,500, eclipsed $7 million in donations Thursday morning. NFL team owners, fellow football players and other athletes are among the top donors.
Hamlin’s Chasing M’s clothing brand store also sold out of merchandise amid his hospitalization.
President Joe Biden also told reporters Wednesday that he spoke “at length” with Hamlin’s parents about the injury. Biden did not elaborate about that conversation, but did say that the dangers of football need to be acknowledged when he was asked if the NFL is getting too dangerous.
“I think working like hell on the helmets and the concussion protocols, that all makes a lot of sense,” Biden said. “But it is dangerous. We’ve got to just acknowledge it.”
Like most NFL teams, the Bills’ typical game week features practice sessions scheduled for Thursday and Friday. The NFL’s Week 18 schedule will start when the Las Vegas Raiders host the Kansas City Chiefs at 4:30 p.m. Saturday in Las Vegas.
