The return of Damar Hamlin to the Bills playing against the Cincinnati Bengals is a significant event. This upcoming game carries multiple meanings, serving as a stark reminder that in football, “the next play is coming.”
On Sunday night, the Buffalo Bills will face the Cincinnati Bengals, two teams considered Super Bowl contenders despite each having three losses this season. This game is also a poignant return to the same field where a traumatic incident unfolded less than a year ago: Damar Hamlin, a Buffalo defensive back, suffered cardiac arrest after tackling Bengals receiver Tee Higgins, collapsing on the field and requiring on-field resuscitation.
The shock of this incident was so profound that players and coaches decided to leave the field. The game was postponed and later canceled, a move that was entirely justified given the circumstances.
In the days that followed, there was much discussion about Hamlin’s condition and the league’s response. It raised questions about the humanity of the players and the need to recognize them as real people, not just statistics or faceless components of the game. Meanwhile, support poured in for Hamlin’s foundation, which provides toys to children at his mother’s day-care center in Pittsburgh.
The NFL took credit for having medical personnel and life-saving training available at the game, as if it deserved praise for averting the worst possible outcome in a sport with a high injury rate. However, it seems that, like many tragedies in sports, the league has moved on, and some continue to wonder if anything substantial has changed.
Damar Hamlin’s miraculous recovery and return to playing for the Bills, including a game in Week 4 against Miami, may have helped the NFL move on from the incident. It’s easier to forget when the player involved is back on the field.
It remains uncertain whether Hamlin will be active for Sunday night’s game. He has expressed his courage and determination but is understandably uncertain about his emotions returning to the field where his life was forever altered.
The memories and fears related to Hamlin’s incident are still fresh in the minds of his teammates. Recent events, like Bills running back Damien Harris’s neck injury, have brought back those traumatic memories. The fear of such serious injuries, especially after the ambulance arrives on the field, haunts players and underscores the unpredictability of the game.
While Harris’s situation didn’t result in paralysis like Hamlin’s, it was still a distressing and potentially career-altering injury. Yet, once Harris was loaded into the ambulance, the game resumed. This starkly highlights that, despite the occasional tragic events, the game of football goes on, and “the next play is coming.” In essence, the fundamental nature of the game remains unchanged.
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