NFL EVP Denies Reported Deadline to Resume Play After Hamlin’s Injury

“It never crossed our mind to talk about warming up to resume play.”

Monday night’s game between the Bengals and Bills abruptly stopped midway through the first quarter as a scary scene unfolded when Buffalo safety Damar Hamlin collapsed on the field after making a tackle. After a lengthy delay with scarce updates, the NFL opted to postpone the game, with no makeup date announced.

The stoppage occurred when Hamlin collapsed after making a tackle. He initially got up off the ground and to his feet following the play, but collapsed almost immediately at 8:55 p.m. ET. Hamlin was administered CPR on the field and then taken away in an ambulance, which left the stadium at 9:25 p.m. ET.

Hamlin was transferred to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center.

After Hamlin received medical attention on the field, officials initially talked to each head coach and, according to ESPN’s broadcast, allowed the teams five minutes to warm up before resuming play. Shortly after that decision was announced, though, the Bills and Bengals left the field and returned to the locker room, as the game officially entered what was called a temporary suspension. It was later postponed, and teams and fans left the stadium.

Hours after the postponement was announced, NFL executive vice president of football operations Troy Vincent explained the league’s decision in a conference call with the media, saying the sole focus was on Hamlin’s wellbeing.

“Neither coach was talking about resuming play, the players weren’t … How do you resume play after you’ve seen such a traumatic event occur in front of you real time?” Vincent said. “That’s the way we were thinking about it, Commissioner [Roger Goodell] and I.”

Vincent also said that the reported five-minute warm-up time that was announced on the ESPN broadcast was not true, calling such a suggestion “ridiculous.”

“It never crossed our mind to talk about warming up to resume play,” Vincent said. “That’s ridiculous. That’s insensitive.”