Buffalo Bills QB Josh Allen Asks Fans To ‘Pray’ For ‘Brother’ Damar Hamlin After Collapse On Field
After watching Damar Hamlin fall to the ground after suffering cardiac arrest during Monday’s game, Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen asked NFL fans to keep his teammate in their thoughts.
Josh Allen had a simple message after watching his Buffalo Bills teammate, Damar Hamlin, collapse during the Jan. 2 game against the Cincinnati Bengals. “Please pray for our brother,” tweeted Josh, 26, hours after the Monday Night Football game came to a halt following Damar’s injury. The 24-year-old Safety tackled Bengals’ wide receiver Tee Higgins in the opening quarter. Higgins’ shoulder collided with Hamlin’s chest. Following the tackle, Hamlin got up and was on his feet for about three seconds before he collapsed.
Please pray for our brother.
— Josh Allen (@JoshAllenQB) January 3, 2023
“My prayers and thoughts go out to [Damar Hamlin] the Hamlin Family,” Higgins tweeted after the game. “I’m praying that you pull through, bro. Love.” Other football stars lent their prayers. “Praying Hard…please be okay, man,” tweeted Patrick Mahomes. “Please join me in prayer for Damar Hamlin,” added former quarterback Tim Tebow. “Please be an okay man. Please be okay,” added JJ Watt. Bills tight end Dawson Knox tweeted, “Prayer is real, and it’s powerful. Constantly praying for Damar and his family.”
My prayers and thoughts go out to @HamlinIsland the Hamlin Family. I’m praying that you pull through bro. Love 🙏🏾💙
— Tee Higgins⁵ (@teehiggins5) January 3, 2023
Praying hard.. please be okay man. 🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽
— Patrick Mahomes II (@PatrickMahomes) January 3, 2023
Please join me in prayer for Damar Hamlin 🙏
— Tim Tebow (@TimTebow) January 3, 2023
Please be ok man. Please be ok.
— JJ Watt (@JJWatt) January 3, 2023
Prayer is real, and it’s powerful. Constantly praying for Damar and his family
— Dawson Knox (@dawson_knox) January 3, 2023
Athletic trainers rushed to Hamlin’s side following his collapse at the Bengals’ Paycor Stadium. They administered CPR to him for nine minutes, including using an automated external defibrillator, per the Los Angeles Times. Hamlin was intubated at one point, allowing him to get oxygen. The Bills issued a statement hours after the incident, confirming that Damar “suffered a cardiac arrest following a hit in our game versus the Bengals.”
“His heartbeat was restored on the field, and he was transferred to the [University of Cincinnati] Medical Center for further testing and treatment. He is currently sedated and listed in critical condition,” the statement added.
“Emotions you can imagine in both locker rooms, and I commend both of those coaches,” NFL executive vice president of football operations Troy Vincent said, per ESPN. “Tough situation to go back in and look at 53 men in the locker room, and not that they asked but just to try and calm people down. It was obvious on the phone with them that the emotions were extremely high. It was a very volatile situation, and I thought the coaches, they led tonight. They led their locker rooms.”
The Bills selected Hamlin in the 2021 NFL Draft. Damar entered Monday’s game tied with the second-most tackles on the team (91) and one forced fumble. Bills defensive coach Leslie Frazier indicated that Hamlin had improved dramatically throughout the season and that he had, per ESPN, “stepped up more as a vocal leader and improved as a tackler.”