Bills Issue Wednesday Update on Damar Hamlin’s Status

The Buffalo safety went into cardiac arrest during the team’s game against the Bengals on Monday night.

Bills safety Damar Hamlin has shown signs of improvement but still remains in critical condition in the intensive care unit after going into cardiac arrest during Monday Night Football, according to a statement released by Buffalo on Wednesday.

“Damar remains in the ICU in critical condition with signs of improvement noted yesterday and overnight,” the Bills said in a tweet. “He is expected to remain under intensive care as his health care team continues to monitor and treat him.”

A previous update from Buffalo on Tuesday afternoon noted that Hamlin spent the night in the University of Cincinnati Medical Center’s ICU, and thanked fans for their continued outpouring of support. Hamlin’s family also released a statement, indicating that they would “release updates as soon as [they] have them.”

Jordon Rooney, a friend and Hamlin’s marketing rep, told ESPN on Wednesday morning that the 24-year-old was still in the ICU and sedated. Rooney also clarified that Hamlin was resuscitated only once Monday night. Hamlin’s uncle had told CNN on Tuesday that Hamlin had to be resuscitated twice—once on the field and once at the hospital—when his heart stopped beating.

“There’s a lot of medical jargon, a lot of things being said, so Damar’s only been resuscitated once,” Rooney said. He later added he thinks Glenn “misspoke,” saying, per CNN, “His uncle’s incredibly supportive of his, of his nephew. … I think that, you know, he just wanted to do his part to share some good news.” 

Rooney later said to NFL Network that things are “moving in a positive direction.”

Hamlin collapsed after tackling Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins during the Monday-night matchup. Though he initially got back on his feet, the safety soon fell to the ground. He received CPR on the field and was transported to the hospital. With coaches and players shaken by the night’s events, the NFL postponed the game about an hour after the start of the incident.

On Tuesday, the league announced that the game would not be scheduled for this week and that no decision had been made on its resumption going forward.

Hamlin, a second-year player out of Pittsburgh, has played 29 career games for the Bills and started 13.