Football became inconsequential for the Buffalo Bills and the Cincinnati Bengals following Damar Hamlin's scary on-field injury Monday night at Paycor Stadium. Players and coaches of both teams were visibly upset and had no appetite for continuing the game after witnessing Bills safety Hamlin collapse on the field after he made a tackle on Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins in the opening period of the contest.
During the ensuing confusion amid the seemingly unprecedented occurrence, everyone was left asking whether the NFL would still require the game to go on, an idea that NFL executive vice president Troy Vincent said was not even considered by the league, per ESPN's Alaina Getzenberg.
“What was most important was that it wasn't about proceeding with the game,” NFL executive vice president of football operations Troy Vincent said during the conference call. “Frankly, that aspect never crossed my mind or their mind internally. We asked that [referee] Shawn [Smith] communicate with both Taylor and Coach McDermott getting the players together. Frankly, it was just about getting a pulse of where they were at that particular time.”
Vincent said that there was no discussion between him and commissioner Roger Goodell about a five-minute period for players to get warmed up and that resuming play did not cross their minds.
Hamlin is currently still at The University of Cincinnati Medical Center, reportedly sedated and in critical condition. He suffered a cardiac arrest on the field but medical personnel who rushed to his aid were able to restore his heartbeat before he was transported to a hospital by an ambulance.
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