As the NFL community waits for news on Bills safety Damar Hamlin, team owners, coaches and players have continued to express their support for the Buffalo Bills safety.
Hamlin, 24, went into cardiac arrest during Monday's game against the Cincinnati Bengals, and is in critical condition.
All 32 teams changed their profile pictures on Twitter to an image that says “Pray for Damar” over his jersey number, 3. Stadiums, including the New England Patriots’ Gillette Stadium, the Baltimore Ravens’ M&T Bank Stadium, lit up in Bills’ colors for Hamlin. The Jumbotron at the Cincinnati Reds’ ballpark, next door to the Bengals’ Paycor Stadium, also displayed the image.
Bills safety Damar Hamlin collapsed on the field following a tackle and was taken by ambulance to a hospital, where he was in critical condition Monday night, leaving teammates in tears and fans stunned.
In Pittsburgh, coach Mike Tomlin met with reporters for his normal Tuesday availability. Hamlin is deeply tied to the Pittsburgh community, growing up in McKees Rocks, and then attending the University of Pittsburgh. He’s known Tomlin since he was young, and Tomlin was deeply impacted by Monday night’s events.
"I'll say this about Damar Hamlin. Man, it's a really personal thing for me being a Pittsburgher. And that young man be a Pittsburgher, I've known that guy, probably since he was about 12," Tomlin said. "I just got a lot of respect and love for him as a human being, his commitment to the pursuit of his goals and dreams of doing what it is he's doing right now, which is playing in the NFL, and to watch him make personal decisions and make that a realization. It's just an honor to get to know young people like that."
Tomlin said he tells Hamlin those things when he sees him.
“We played Buffalo the last two seasons, and he and I get to have a moment,” Tomlin said. “It’s just cool to not only appreciate the guys in terms of where they are now, but to know them since they were younger people, to watch their development, their maturation and to watch them earn what they have been chasing, it’s really cool. He’s an example of that. I’ve got a lot of love for that young man.”
Tomlin also said that he had reached out to Bills coach Sean McDermott to “lend whatever assistance (he) could.”
Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett, a college teammate of Hamlin's, tweeted at Hamlin, re-upping a video from when the two hugged in the tunnel after playing against each other in October, and adding that he is "With you every step of the way 3!!"
In Cincinnati, Bengals owner Mike Brown released a statement of support. He is the first Bengals official to comment since the incident.
“First and foremost, the Bengals continue to send thoughts and prayers to Damar Hamlin and his family,” Brown wrote. “Our hearts are with everyone in this unprecedented time – what we can do is support one another.”
Brown noted that while the prime-time matchup between the Bengals and the Bills was highly anticipated, everything changed when Hamlin collapsed.
“Instead, the human side of our sport became paramount… and in that moment, humanity and love rose to the forefront,” he said.
Brown said medical personnel undertook “extraordinary measures,” and the two teams, the fans in Paycor Stadium and fans around the NFL “bolstered the support for Damar and love for each other.”
A few teams, including Kansas City and Philadelphia, canceled or postponed availability Tuesday in light of Hamlin’s condition.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady pointed to the future support that the cities of both teams will need in the coming days.
"We’re praying for Damar and his family this morning in Tampa," Brady tweeted Tuesday. "Moments like this put into perspective what it means to play this game we love. Thankful for our communities in Cincinnati and Buffalo for the overwhelming level of care and support I know they’ll continue to provide."
A donation under the name Tom Brady for $10,000 was made to the GoFundMe that Hamlin previously set up for a toy drive.
Tennessee Titans safety Kevin Byard said watching the scene unfold reminded him to call his loved ones.
“We understand that life is precious, and you just never know,” Byard told Tennessee media. “Obviously, this is a dangerous sport, and I think we all kind of understand it, but nobody goes into a game thinking they can lose their life.
“My mom went into cardiac arrest when she passed away. So, I understand the seriousness of the situation. Him being in critical condition, he’s fighting for his life, literally.”
Former NFL players weighed in as well. Larry Fitzgerald, the former Arizona Cardinals wide receiver, also played at University of Pittsburgh.
"Praying for Damar Hamlin," Fitzgerald tweeted Monday night. "The entire world is lifting this young man up."
