'Classless' Steelers CPR Celebration Reaction: 'All Love for Bills' Damar Hamlin'

“I just want people to know that I have nothing but love for the Bills' Damar Hamlin and his family,” the Steelers' Alex Highsmith said after his ill-advised "CPR celebration.''

Alex Highsmith is the Pittsburgh Steelers' 2022 nominee for the NFL Art Rooney Sportsmanship Award, which made it all the more stunning that he would celebrate a sack in Week 18 with a mock CPR performance complete with chest compressions.

"Classless'' and "trashy'' were the understandable reactions as the video of his act in a win over the Browns went viral on Sunday right about the same time the sports world was celebrating Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin's fight back to health following his on-field cardiac arrest a week ago.

“I just don't want people to think of me that way and think I was doing anything [intentional],” said Highsmith, described as being "contrite'' as he addressed his poorly timed act. “Because I would never, ever, ever, ever want to do that intentionally, and I never ever would do that.”

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Highsmith wants it known that his performance had nothing to do with what Hamlin - who has spend the week in a Cincinnati hospital and is just now being transported back home to Buffalo - went through.

“I just want people to know that I have nothing but love for Damar and his family,” Highsmith said. “When that happened, I was shook for a couple days. Me and my wife, we were watching the game, we immediately saw it and intentionally started praying, intentionally prayed for him, his parents, the doctors, the nurses.

"I’m just thankful for the miraculous work God has done with Damar’s life. I just want people to know that there was nothing intentional about that. It was never planned, none of that.”

Hamlin's fight for his life raised a level of sensitivity for most. ... though in a sense, Highsmith - who obviously did not intent to mock a fellow player who almost died - is not alone here. After days of solemn on-air work by national TV people across the land, by Monday, many hot-take commentators are already back to referring to outcomes of coming playoff games as "do-or-die'' and chastising teams like the Dallas Cowboys for failing to "kill'' the Washington Commanders.

Maybe it will help that Hamlin, albeit probably from his hospital bed in Buffalo, will remain in the public eye as his Bills are advancing into the postseason starting with a home game on Saturday against the Dolphins.

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