Buffalo Bills player is “neurologically intact” after collapsing on the pitch after a cardiac arrest.
Image source, Getty ImagesUS National Football League player Damar Hamlin has shown “remarkable improvement” over the last 24 hours and is “neurologically intact”, his team said on Thursday.
The Buffalo Bills star suffered a cardiac arrest on the field during a Monday night game in Cincinnati.
Hamlin has been in the intensive care unit since he was taken off the field after collapsing.
But he has now been communicating with doctors by writing after waking up.
One of Hamlin’s physicians, Dr Timothy Pritts, said he had asked who won the game between the Bills and the Bengals.
The doctor responded: “Damar, you won – you won the game of life.”
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Hamlin is still on a ventilator in the intensive care unit at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center to assist his breathing.
Earlier in the day, the doctors treating him said he “demonstrated that he appears to be neurologically intact”, the Bills said in the latest update.
“His lungs continue to heal and he is making steady progress,” the team added. “We are grateful for the love and support we have received.”
Shortly before Hamlin’s team issued the latest statement on Thursday, his teammate Kaiir Elam wrote in a tweet: “Our boy is doing better, awake and showing more signs of improvement.”
“Keep the prayers coming please,” he added.
His agent, Ron Butler, confirmed to CNN that Hamlin was awake and had been holding hands with his family in the hospital.
Hamlin, 24, suffered a cardiac arrest during the primetime game after tackling Cincinnati Bengals receiver Tee Higgins. He fell on his back to the ground after the collision.
He received over 30 minutes of on-the-field medical care, during which he was resuscitated once, according to the player’s friend and marketing agent Jordon Rooney.
Support for the second-year Bills player has poured in since the accident.
A GoFundMe page for a toy drive launched by Hamlin has amassed more than $7m (£5.9m).
Several NFL players have donated to the cause, including Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady and Denver Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson.
Hamlin was drafted to the NFL in 2021 from the University of Pittsburgh, where he played college football.
The NFL has postponed the Bills’ game against the Bengals indefinitely in the wake of the incident.