The Buffalo Bills received some welcome news regarding hospitalized safety Damar Hamlin on Wednesday.
Returning to the team’s practice facility in Orchard Park for the first time since Hamlin suffered cardiac arrest Monday night in Cincinnati, Bills players took part in a Zoom call with Hamlin’s father, Mario, who said his son is thriving.
‘The team needs it,’ said a source Adam Schefter of ESPN.
The NFL Network is reporting that the Bills plan to practice Thursday for the first time since Monday’s game was postponed indefinitely. The team went through a walkthrough of the training facility in Orchard Park on Wednesday.
Hamlin is pictured behind his mother, Nina, and his father, Mario, when he played at Pitt
Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott kneels as Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin (3) is treated on the field following a collision in the first quarter against the Cincinnati Bengals at Paycor Stadium
Another source told NFL Network’s Mike Giardi that the call was ’emotional,’ but provided some ‘calm’ for the players in the midst of a difficult week.
‘It’s not easy,’ the source told Giardi, adding that ‘they’re doing it together.’
Bills spokesmen did not immediately respond to DailyMail.com’s request for further details about the call.
Hamlin is awake and showing signs of improvement after suffering cardiac arrest and being resuscitated during Monday’s Bills-Bengals game in Cincinnati.
Buffalo cornerback Kaiir Elam made the announcement Thursday on Twitter: ‘Our son is doing better, awake and showing more signs of improvement. Thank you, Lord. Keep the prayers coming please. All love 3!’
Buffalo cornerback Kaiir Elam made the announcement Thursday on Twitter : ‘Our son is doing better, awake and showing more signs of improvement. Thank you, Lord. Keep the prayers coming please. All love 3!’
The Bills also released their own encouraging statement, noting that Hamlin’s lungs are on the mend and that he is neurologically intact.
‘According to the physicians caring for Damar Hamlin at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center, Damar has shown remarkable improvement over the past 24 hours,’ read the team’s statement. While seriously ill, he demonstrated that he appeared to be neurologically intact. His lungs continue to heal and he is making steady progress.’
His marketing representative, Jordon Rooney, told The Associated Press that his client is moving in a ‘positive direction.’
‘We all remain optimistic,’ said Rooney.
Hamlin’s family has been overwhelmed with acts of kindness since his cardiac arrest, including more than $6 million in donations to the defensive back’s charity drive.
‘They’re very happy now,’ Rooney said of the Hamlin family. ‘Damar is still their first concern. But for them, they are always looking at how they can make good out of a rather troubling situation. To bounce back from this, for him and his family is going to be incredible.’
The Bills released their own statement Thursday, saying Hamlin is neurologically intact
Damar Hamlin is pictured with his father, Mario, during his playing days at Pitt
Hamlin was resuscitated by medics on the Paycor Stadium field, but updates have been positive in the days since, with his ventilator usage reduced from 100 percent to 50 percent on Tuesday.
ESPN spoke with Rooney outside the hospital in Cincinnati on Wednesday, and he revealed the positive news that doctors are happy with the progress he’s made.
He added that there is ‘no clarity at this moment, how long things are going to take, how things are going to go,’ before also clarifying that Hamlin is ‘still stable and in critical condition in the ICU’.
Rooney was also quick to correct the ‘misinformation’ being spread about the number of times Hamlin was revived, with the player’s uncle telling reporters it happened twice, once at the stadium and once at the hospital.
Today it was revealed that there was only one resuscitation, on the field at Paycor Stadium.
The 12-3 Bills host the New England Patriots on Sunday, and could still have a chance to wrestle the top seed in the AFC playoffs away from the 13-3 Kansas City Chiefs, depending on whether or not the NFL rules. in last week’s game against Cincinnati to complete.
One option is to cancel the remainder of the Bills-Bengals game, and use winning percentage to determine playoff seeding in the AFC. Such a move would give the Chiefs the advantage of securing a first-round bye and home-field advantage in the postseason.
The Buffalo Bills gather as an ambulance parks on the field as CPR is administered to Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin (3) after the play in the first quarter of the NFL Week 17 game between the Cincinnati Bengals and the Buffalo Bills at Paycor Stadium in Downtown Cincinnati. The game was suspended in the first quarter after Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin (3) was taken away in an ambulance after a play
