Damar Hamlin’s frightening injury on Monday Night Football, which left the Buffalo Bills’ defensive back in need of resuscitation on the field after his heart stopped, has left the NFL world in a haze.
Still shocked by the images of Bills players forming a human wall around Hamlin and their thousand-mile stares as the ambulance took him to Cincinnati’s trauma center, Minnesota Vikings coaches and players went back to work on Wednesday, preparing for a matchup with the Chicago Bears on Sunday. They faced the difficult task of focusing on implementing a gameplan.
“I still watched the film that I normally do on Tuesday nights and have been attentive in meetings as I normally would on a Wednesday but overall my morale is unsettled until I get more positive news,” said defensive tackle Harrison Phillips, who played with Hamlin in Buffalo. “Sometimes getting back to work and focusing on other things can help.”
Vikings outside linebacker Patrick Jones, who went to Pitt and played with Hamlin, acknowledged how difficult the past two days have been on him and said that he’s trying to use the pain of seeing his former teammate in distress as motivation.
“It’s hard, that’s like my brother,” Jones said. “You spend every day with someone for five years, you’re doing everything together. Even during COVID when everything was shut down we were working out together. It’s hard seeing something like that. Really hard. All you can do is stay strong and when you go out there [to play], I have to remember that I’m playing for a lot of reasons and now I’m playing for another one, I’m playing for my brother.”
Coaches are in the challenging position of requiring their team’s attention on the matchup ahead while also being understanding of what players are dealing with in the wake of Hamlin’s injury.
“I understand how hard that has to be to watch as an NFL player, knowing that one of your brothers in this league – regardless of team – these guys all look at each other as part of one, as part of the brotherhood of playing in the NFL,” Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell said. “I wanted them to know how much I was aware of what they may be going through, that all of us collectively were going to be thinking about Damar and having our emotions, thoughts and prayers with him. And that there’s resources available, even in our organization, for not only our coaches, our players, but their families.”
O’Connell told players that his “door is open” and urged them to talk to him if they are in need of someone to speak with.
“I think it’s just important to provide as much as we can for our players while also being very aware and understanding where they’re at from a mental standpoint and emotional standpoint, as well as their families,” O’Connell said.
“I wanted them to know that I’m processing it and working through it as much as I know they probably are as well,” O’Connell said. “There’s really no easy way to just snap your fingers and make things better.”
Phillips said that the NFL Players’ Association has also made resources available.
“I’m sure every single significant other of a player has said to that player, ‘This could have been you,’” Phillips said. “It touches really really hard for us.”
Empathy is not often associated with the NFL. We so often hear about the “next man up” mentality. Players compare themselves to warriors and every football metaphor seems to be connected to war. But the seriousness of Hamlin’s situation has broken down some of those walls.
“I’ve been surprised at how many people that have zero ties and zero connections to him or Buffalo and how much they are impacted and it’s because we’re a brotherhood,” Phillips said. “
Phillips bought dinner for Hamlin’s family, the team training staff who are with him in Cincinnati and the ICU doctors/nurses on Tuesday and Wednesday. He’s hoping to put together an event to celebrate Hamlin’s recovery soon.
News thus far on Hamlin’s recovery has been positive. His uncle told NFL Network that things are moving in the right direction and trauma doctors spoke Thursday about Hamlin being able to communicate via pen and paper with family, though he remains in intensive care.
The Vikings and the NFL at large will go back to work again tomorrow hoping for more good news as they continue working through the aftermath.
“I think it’s important that we all as we understand how it’s affected us personally, we all understand how important it is to continue to come together,” O’Connell said.
Related: Murphy: The NFL is our national drug. We are all unapologetic addicts.
