NFL Denies Game Restart Reports After Bills' Damar Hamlin Suffered Medical Emergency

During the January 2 game against the Cincinnati Bengals, Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin suffered a cardiac arrest after a blow to the chest during the first quarter of the game. "His heartbeat was restored on the field and he was transferred to the UC Medical Center for further testing and treatment," the Bills said in a statement posted to Twitter. "He is currently sedated and listed in critical condition."

The safety reportedly got up on his feet after tackling Bengals receiver Tee Higgins, but immediately fell back to the ground, per AP News. It was reported that Hamlin was down on the field for 19 minutes, and he received CPR as well as an automated external defibrillator. The ambulance then came onto the field to rush the 24-year-old to the hospital. 

"This has been a jarring scene down on that field as players are watching a teammate and a brother go through intense CPR down on that field," ESPN's Joe Buck said on the live game broadcast (via Variety). It reportedly took the NFL 36 minutes to officially cancel and postpone the game. Because of this, fans have been wondering why it took so long to make that call.

After Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin was rushed to the hospital, reports claimed that the teams were under pressure to continue the game. "They have been given five minutes to quote-unquote get ready to get back playing," ESPN's Joe Buck said (via Mediaite). "That's the word we get from the league and word we get from down on the field."

But NFL executive vice president of football operations Troy Vincent claimed that those reports were far from the truth. "Frankly, there was no time period for the players to get warmed up," Vincent said in a press conference (via ProFootballTalk). He added that the only time period that was discussed was the amount of time that was needed for both teams to discuss what the next steps were. "It never crossed our mind to talk about warming up to resume play," he continued. "That's ridiculous. That's insensitive. And that's not a place that we should ever be in."

Despite rumors that the game would have to resume within the next two days, it was announced by the Cincinnati Bengals that the game will be "suspended until further notice," and that a reschedule won't be happening this week. "No decision has been made to reschedule the game as well as any decision regarding this weekend's schedule," the statement said.