A spokesperson for the family of Buffalo Bills player Damar Hamlin said Tuesday he is “fighting” after suffering cardiac arrest early in the Monday Night Football contest against the Cincinnati Bengals.
During an appearance on ABC’s “Good Morning America, family representative and close friend Jordon Rooney told "GMA" anchor Robin Roberts that Hamlin, a second-year safety out of the University of Pittsburgh, is currently sedated.
“So I can't speak specifically on his medical condition. I will say is that, you know, he's fighting he's a fighter,” Rooney told Roberts. "You know, I felt like in the moment there needed to be some clarity that you know, he was he was awake at that time.
“And now he's sedated. So, you know, the family is in good spirits,” he added. “We're honestly just taking it minute by minute, hour by hour.”
Rooney, who met Hamlin through an athlete marketing agency internship, also said that Hamlin’s family been "remarkable" in this trying time.
"I mean, they…they are a tremendous group of people,” he said. “They're strong. I mean, they're supportive. They're obviously … worried — Damar was very close with his family.”
Hamlin, who was drafted in the sixth round of the 2021 NFL Draft, collapsed after tackling Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins during the first quarter of Monday’s contest.
The 24-year-old safety stood up after the play was over, only to fall to the ground a few seconds later.
The game was postponed, and medical authorities administrated CPR on the field before he was taken to a local medical facility by ambulance. Players and coaches on both teams were visibly shaken by the incident.
In a tweet, the Bills tweeted that Hamlin is “currently sedated and listed in critical condition” while undergoing further testing and treatment.
In response to the incident, fans have raised more than $3.8 million for Hamlin’s charitable foundation, the Chasing M’s Foundation Community Toy Drive, through the foundation’s GoFundMe page.
