The Damar Hamlin incident is a sobering reminder for us all

Monday night’s incident left almost all spectators agreeing on one thing

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It’s Week 17 on Football’s biggest stage, Monday Night Football. Two of the NFL’s best teams, the Buffalo Bills and Cincincatti Bengals are battling it out to keep their hopes alive for top seed in the AFC. The Bengals have jumped out to a 7-3 lead with about six minutes remaining in the first quarter.

Then something horrific happened. Bills safety Damar Hamlin, after making a very pedestrian-looking tackle, stood up, took a step to his right, and collapsed like a ragdoll.

Within minutes emergency medical staff members were on the field, administering nine minutes of CPR, and a defibrillator to the body of Hamlin. He was then rushed off the field, unresponsive, in an ambulance to a local hospital.

The air that had come over Paycor Stadium in Cincinatti was eerie. Players, fans, and coaches alike, from both sides, were completely and utterly disturbed by what they had just seen. Yet somehow, word had gotten out that the NFL had notified the involved parties that play would resume in five minutes.

Shortly thereafter, play was announced as “Temporarily Suspended” until further notice. Meanwhile, an update had made its rounds online that Hamlin was with a pulse, but unable to breathe on his own.

Confusion, devastation, panic - all these emotions visibly plagued the players and coaches, as they remained on field, pacing back and forth, conversing, even praying in response to what they just saw. On official broadcasts, no word was provided on the injury.

As we as a society dealt with the trauma of watching a perfectly fit and healthy 24-year-old human collapse to the floor, in complete spontaneity, conversation swirled online. From stoking suspicions about vaccine-related conditions to recalling similar episodes of cardiac arrest in pro sports from years past, Monday night’s incident left almost all spectators agreeing on one thing - play should not continue.

The early reports that suggested play would shortly resume outraged some and perplexed many, but after nearly an hour, play was announced as postponed. While it’s possible that the NFL initially wanted to resume play, and the idea of that outcome should outrage us, we must also remember that these decisions are likely made by a group of executives, and not just one person. Expecting play to be canceled instantaneously, before really even knowing the full situation on the field, and the ramifications it may have, just isn’t realistic.

While the NFL took a lot of heat for their evaluation of Tua Tagovailoa’s head injuries earlier this season, which they absolutely should have, it appears that this time they got it right. The verdict to cancel play was clear. The players could not go back out on the field and pretend like nothing happened.

Imagine working in a factory, watching your friend lose his arm in a machine, and being expected to return to your station and keep performing your job at a high level within minutes of your friend’s accident. It doesn’t make sense. Any employer with even a shred of empathy and rationality would adapt to the situation at hand.

Of course, fans paid, likely even traveled, to see a game. Sponsors, advertisers, and so on, had huge financial interests resting on Monday night’s broadcast. The rest of the teams in the league itself are watching every game with baited breathe to see how they will approach their next week’s matchup, as the final playoff picture is set.

But this should be a sobering reminder for us all. Sometimes things happen, and we have to acknowledge that we are all human. In America, we are often so consumed by our consumerism. We think about our time in US dollars. Our top export is entertainment. The show must go on. Football is an American sport, and being “American” in that regard means much more than just the geographic location of its playing.

The process wasn’t perfect, confusion ensued, and pandemonium set in Monday night as we solemnly watched a fellow American in Damar Hamlin suffer a life-changing, if not life-threatening episode. However, we should be grateful the NFL has postponed the game, which they now say will not be finished this week. Its a reminder that time and money aren’t everything, even on one of the world’s biggest stages, and we should carry that forward with us next time tragedy strikes.

As of Tuesday afternoon Damar Hamlin remains hospitalized, in critical condition.