The fans anticipated a cracker of a game when the Buffalo Bills traveled to Cincinnati to take on the Bengals in Week 17. But instead, shocking scenes emerged as the Bills safety Damar Hamlin collapsed on the field after a collision with a Bengals player. The incident comes months after the Miami Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa suffered a horrific concussion on the field. And it also serves as a reminder that the NFL stars are also human.
Player safety has been a burning topic in the NFL recently. But even after making long strides in that direction, there is still a lot of ground to cover.
Damar Hamlin brings back Tua Tagovailoa’s memories
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Just months before the Damar Hamlin incident, the Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa suffered a horrific concussion on the field. The opposition was the same, and so was the venue. The QB doesn’t even remember being carted off the field. Although he came back strong just weeks later, the incident did spark a debate on player safety in what is a pretty violent game in itself.
And just months after that, Hamlin’s collapse on the field is another rude reminder of the fragility of the human body. The NFL players might have trained their whole lives for hits and collisions. Those will remain in the game always as a part of it. But even a trained human body can give in after a limit. So, the player safety conversation needs to continue.
The NFL has worked to make the game safer.
But it is an inherently violent game.
There are reminders, and then there is this kind of reminder.— Andrew Brandt (@AndrewBrandt) January 3, 2023
It’s certainly not the fault of the player who collided with either Tagovailoa or Hamlin. They were doing what they had to do. But the game’s administrators need to come up with something to protect the players while keeping the thrill of football alive.
The Hamlin incident
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Bills’ safety Damar Hamlin collapsed on the field in the first quarter of MNF in Week 17 against the Bengals. During a play, Hamlin collided with the Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins. Hamlin tried to get up after the collision but failed to do so and stayed down. This prompted the medics to rush onto the field and start a CPR treatment.
Read More: “Praying…”: Patrick Mahomes Shocked, Josh Allen in Tears As ‘Critical’ Damar Hamlin Battles For Life
Hamlin was later transported to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center, where he remains in critical condition. The NFL suspended the game for the day as nobody expects the players to play after such a horrific scene. Again, they are humans too, and along with fragility; they have emotions too. Nobody could have played while one of their mates battled for life in the hospital.
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Hopefully, he makes a speedy recovery, and the NFL comes up with a speedy resolution on player safety.
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