For viewers watching at home, the looks on players' faces were enough to know how serious the situation was when Buffalo Bills defensive player Damar Hamlin collapsed on the field after making a tackle.
Hamlin's collapse came in the first quarter of the nationally televised game against the Cincinnati Bengals. He was given medical treatment for nearly 20 minutes before being taken to a hospital.
Currently, Hamlin is sedated on a ventilator as doctors work toward getting him to breathe on his own.
Bobby Bell, Pro Football Hall of Famer, says he experienced something similar when he played for the Kansas City Chiefs in the '60s. He says it's tough on the players to witness something like this.
"Your teammates and even the team on the other side sit back and realize it's a possibility that this can happen to me," Bell told KCUR's Up To Date. "They think about it and it goes through their mind."
The incident has even pushed some fans to rethink supporting the NFL and reconsider allowing their children to play football due to its violent nature and potential for serious injury.
The Bills-Bengals game was suspended after the incident, and it's not clear yet whether the game will be resumed at another time.
"Initially, obviously right now, for you know, today, yesterday, tomorrow to try to finish that game would be ridiculous. But I think by this weekend, they've got to move on," says sports psychologist Dr. Andrew Jacobs. "I think playing is maybe the best thing for them to get refocused on what they have to do. They still got to finish playing the season."
- Bobby Bell, pro football Hall of Famer
- Dr. Andrew Jacobs, sports psychologist
