In a statement shared Tuesday morning, the Buffalo Bills player’s family said they “want to express our sincere gratitude for the love and support shown to Damar during this challenging time”
The family of Buffalo Bills player Damar Hamlin asked fans to keep the NFL players “in your prayers” as he remains in critical condition after suffering cardiac arrest during his game Monday night.
In a statement shared Tuesday morning, Hamlin’s family said they will share updates on the 24-year-old “as soon as we have them,” and thanked fans and medical personnel for their support.
“On behalf of our family, we want to express our sincere gratitude for the love and support shown to Damar during this challenging time,” they said in the statement, which was shared by Hamlin’s friend and marketing rep Jordan Rooney. “We are deeply moved by the prayers, kind words and donations from fans around the country.”
Hamlin was injured early in the first quarter of the Bills’ Monday Night Football game against the Cincinnati Bengals after making a tackle. The safety quickly popped back up, before suddenly collapsing. Medical personnel administered CPR to Hamlin and appeared to give him oxygen before the ambulance took him away. ESPN reported that Hamlin’s parents were brought down from the stands to leave with him to University of Cincinnati Medical Center.
Early Tuesday morning, the Bills organization announced that Hamlin had suffered cardiac arrest and was still in critical condition.
“His heartbeat was restored on the field and he was transferred to the UC Medical Center for further testing and treatment,” the team said. “He is currently sedated and listed in critical condition.”
In another update Tuesday morning, Rooney told Good Morning America that Hamlin is “a fighter.”
“So I can’t speak specifically on his medical condition. All I’ll say is, you know, he’s fighting — he’s a fighter,” Rooney told anchor Robin Roberts.
“The family is in good spirits. We’re honestly taking it minute by minute and hour by hour.”
“Yeah, I mean his family’s remarkable,” he expanded on Hamlin’s support system. “They are a tremendous group of people. They’re strong, you know, they’re supportive — they’re obviously worried.”
“Damar is very close with his family,” Rooney added.
Jordon Rooney says the family of the Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin is "in good spirits" and "taking it minute by minute" after Hamlin suffered a cardiac arrest during Monday night's game.https://t.co/Q3Ku8wis4j
— Good Morning America (@GMA) January 3, 2023
Giving the situation directly following Hamlin’s injury some “clarity,” Rooney, who flew in to be by the athlete’s side, said that “he was awake at that time and now he’s sedated.”
In the wake of the NFL player’s shocking injury, a GoFundMe benefitting Hamlin’s charity has received more than $3.5 million in donations.
Sharing further details on their personal and professional relationship, Rooney went on to tell Roberts that Hamlin actually reached out to his marketing agency seeking an internship, which is “pretty unique” for a division one football player to do, which speaks for Hamlin’s entrepreneurial side, who wanted to “build his own brand.”
“He interned for me and now we’re super super close,” Rooney said of his intern-turned business partner.
“I think what’s most important is to give the family their privacy,” Rooney noted of all the traction happening around Cincinnati hospital, wanting to remind fans that he’s a human being first and a sports star second.
“The family is going through a lot right now, so I think it’s important for everyone to just kind of remember that this is a person and his family is just trying to work through everything.”
GIPHY App Key not set. Please check settings