Cincinnati Bengals head coach Zac Taylor praised the leadership of Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott after Bills safety Damar Hamlin collapsed onto the field mid-game on Monday night.
Taylor recounted that McDermott told him shortly after the incident, “I need to be at the hospital for Damar. I shouldn’t be coaching this game.”
“I really felt Sean McDermott led in that moment,” Taylor told reporters on Wednesday. “He was there for his players.”
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The Bengals coach also touted the good work of the medical and athletic training staff on both teams following the scary incident: “They gave Damar the best chance.”
Hamlin is currently listed in critical condition, but with signs of improvement noted yesterday and overnight, according to the Bills.
He was hurt in the first quarter when he was struck squarely in the chest while making what appeared to be routine tackle of Bengals receiver Tee Higgins. Hamlin briefly got up and adjusted his facemask before collapsing backward.
“We all remain optimistic,” Jordon Rooney, a family spokesman who described himself as a good friend of the player, told The Associated Press by phone. He said he was unable to go into further detail on Hamlin’s status at the request of his family not to provide specifics.
Hamlin is from McKees Rocks, a hardscrabble exurb of Pittsburgh, and was selected by Buffalo in the sixth round of the 2021 draft out of Pitt. He spent his rookie season limited to special teams roles, and took over the starting job in Week 3 in place of veteran Micah Hyde, who remains sidelined by a neck injury.
With files from The Associated Press.
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