CINCINNATI -- League executives from the NFL said early Tuesday morning that the Buffalo Bills planned to return to Western New York after Monday's game against the Bengals was suspended because of a serious health condition by Bills safety Damar Hamlin, who collapsed on the field with 5:58 remaining in the first quarter and was given CPR.
Hamlin was in critical condition at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center, the NFL announced.
Speaking on a conference call just after midnight, Troy Vincent, the league's executive vice president of football operations, addressed the broadcast report that teams were given five minutes to warm up before potentially resuming the game. Some Bills defensive players had returned to the field after the ambulance transporting Hamlin departed the field before both teams went to the locker room.
"I’m not sure where that came from," Vincent said. "Frankly, there was no time period for the players to get warmed up. Frankly, the only thing that we asked was that (referee) Shawn (Smith) communicate with both head coaches to make sure they had the proper time inside the locker room to discuss what they felt like was best. So, I’m not sure where that came from – five minutes warm up never, never crossed my mind, personally. And I was the one – I’m saying 'I' not to be selfish -- but the one that was communicating with the commissioner. We never, frankly, it never crossed our mind to talk about warming up to resume play. That’s ridiculous. That’s insensitive, and that’s not a place that we should ever be in."
Vincent said the league's only priority after Hamlin collapsed was to do right by him, his Bills teammates and the team's coaches.
"Tonight, both coaches were understandable about where we were," he said. "Neither coach, frankly, was talking about resuming play. The players weren't. The medical staff, the player union official, real time broadcast partners, just trying to make sure that we were keeping everyone abreast of what had taken place and what we were thinking prior to the decision being made. At this particular juncture, both the head coaches came back, got on the phone with myself and communicated with the commissioner. We just felt like collectively that it was time to communicate with the general public of those that were in the stadium that we were going to postpone play. That was just kind of walking you through what was happening real time, who we were communicating with, myself personally."
Vincent played in the NFL from 1992-2006, including parts of three seasons with the Bills from 2004-06.
"I've never seen anything like it since I've been playing, so immediately my player hat went on," he said. "How do you resume play after you've seen such a traumatic event occur in front of you (in) real time? That's the way we were thinking about it -- the commissioner and I and others -- was let the coaches and players breathe, and then we'll come back and make a decision, which is in the best interest for Mr. Hamlin and all who had witnessed what we saw."
Vincent said the league recognized that players, coaches and even those watching the game were traumatized and resuming the game was not an option.
"What was most important was that it wasn't about proceeding with the game," he said. "Frankly, that aspect never crossed my mind or their mind internally."
Jeff Miller, the NFL's executive vice president of communications, public affairs and policy, said the league's emergency action plan is rehearsed every year and covers events such as what happened to Hamlin. As part of it, there is a level one trauma center in every NFL city, as the University of Cincinnati Medical Center is, and that is why Hamlin was sent there.
During the call with reporters, league officials said there has been given no consideration to when, or if, the game might resume.
"There’s nothing in consideration right now," Miller said. "Our concern is for the player and his well-being. At the appropriate time, I’m sure that we’ll have a conversation around the next steps regarding the game."
