Injuries are a part of every sport, especially football, but the sports community was wondering what happened to Bill’s Safety Damar Hamlin after he collapsed on the field during a routine tackle while playing the Bengals on January 2nd.

9 minutes after kickoff, Cincinnati star Tee Wiggins ran into Damar after catching a 12-yard pass. After the collision, Damar stood up normally and took two steps before collapsing onto the floor. His body appeared to be limp and unconscious as teams surrounded him. Damar would then be on the field for 18 more minutes while the medical faculty would give him CPR and administer an automated defibrillator. After a long 18 minutes, the ambulance arrived and took him to the hospital. The sports community watched in fear and anticipation as one of their beloved players had to be taken off the field in an ambulance.

The team released an official statement, “Damar Hamlin suffered a cardiac arrest following his hit in our game against the Bengals… His heartbeat was restored on the field and he was transferred to UC medical center for further testing and treatment.” Later that night, one of Damar’s representatives declared his vitals were back to normal. An hour after the injury, the NFL finally canceled the game, stating, “It was obvious on the phone that emotions were extremely high. It was a very volatile situation.”

After being in two different hospitals for a little over 9 days, Damar was released. In the hospital, he went through different kinds of testing, including cardiac, neurological, and vascular testing. Since the accident, Damar has shown great improvement in his health. On January 7th, Damar made his first public statement on social media stating, “When you put real love out into the world it comes back to you 3x’s as much… The love has been overwhelming, but I’m thankful for every single person that prayed for me and reached out.” Damar then continues to state how grateful he was and thanked all the fans that were supporting him. NFL games following the accident have shown immense support for Damar; NFL commissioner Roger Goodell announced that all 32 NFL teams will wear “Love for Damar 3” shirts before games. In the first Bills game since, they honored Damar by carrying a flag with the number 3 on it and players had patches on their jerseys with the number 3. Teams all over the league continue to show their support for Damar, as he continues his recovery.