

Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin suffered cardiac arrest on the field during the game against the Bengals last night. It was after a hit, which honestly looked unremarkable. If you’re so inclined you can watch that right here. He got up immediately after the hit, but then fell back to the ground, motionless. Medics were able to restart his heart on the field, but he’s now sedated and on a ventilator, and not much more is known about his condition other than it’s serious.
Many folks immediately reacted to the news with concern about his vaccine status, and I totally get it. But we don’t know what caused this episode, and it’s awfully early to speculate. Dr. Peter McCullough has weighed in – and here’s what he said.
"Too early to speculate. I am the most senior cardiologist weighing in. here is my quote: "I watched the play live both as a fan and a cardiologist and I saw blunt neck and chest trauma, a brief recovery after the tackle and then a classic cardiac arrest."
— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) January 3, 2023
Continued 👇
"…considered in the differential diagnosis. We have been told he was successfully defibrillated on the field and has been intubated and is not spontaneously breathing which is consistent with anoxic encephalopathy. The nation prays for his complete recovery."
— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) January 3, 2023
We absolutely DO pray for a complete recovery. If and when a cardiac arrest occurs, the biggest blessing one can hope for is immediate access to medical care, and Hamlin got that. My dad suffered a similar episode just a few weeks before my wedding when he was in his late 50s. His was caused by clogged heart arteries – and he required a quadruple bypass. Thankfully, he was in the middle of a racquet ball game at the time, and he was playing with a physician who knew what to do immediately. He was also across the parking lot from a firestation which was equipped with a defibrillator, and without those electric shocks to the heart in the immediate moments after the cardiac arrest, my dad wouldn’t be alive today. He’ll be 82 this year!
My point in telling you that is simply to say that there is hope for a full recovery. Ultimately, we’ll find out, I hope, what caused Hamlin’s episode. Until then, let’s just focus our energy on wishing him well, and on praying for peace and comfort for his family.
Ryan Clark puts it all in perspective.
Ryan Clark speaks from the heart about Damar Hamlin❤️ #RyanClark #prayersforDamarHamlin #BuffaloBills #NFL #CPRFor9Minutes #cardiacarrest #DamarHamlin pic.twitter.com/KIsm5hQYZ4
— aydeng60 (@aydeng60) January 3, 2023
1 Comment
Thank you for this appropriate commentary. I’m embarrassed to say that some of my fellow conservative friends are almost gloating with their “I told you so” responses. There’s also a fake Tweet being circulated by someone claiming to be his doctor. I believe the 💉 is poison, which is why I’ll never get one. But, I am not so eager to prove my point that I immediately politicize the illness of a young one. If it’s the 💉, we need to know but probably won’t. If it’s not, let it go.