CINCINNATI — Damar Hamlin, the Buffalo Bills safety who collapsed during a "Monday Night Football" game against the Cincinnati Bengals, remained hospitalized Tuesday. The team said late Monday that Hamlin suffered a cardiac arrest after Monday's game ended abruptly before emergency medical staff treated him and carried him away in an ambulance to a hospital.
The Bills said Tuesday that Hamlin was in an intensive care unit and was in critical condition being treated by doctors at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center.
Hamlin's family released a statement Tuesday thanking fans and doctors for their support.
"On behalf of our family, we want to express our sincere gratitude for the love and support shown to Damar during this challenging time," the statement read. "We are deeply moved by the prayers, kind words, and donations from fans around the country.
"We also want to acknowledge the dedicated first responders and healthcare professionals at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center who have provided exceptional care to Damar. We feel so blessed to be part of the Buffalo Bills organization and to have their support. We also want to thank Coach Taylor and the Bengals for everything they've done. Your generosity and compassion mean the world to us.
"Please keep Damar in your prayers. We will release updates as soon as we have them."
The game, which was supposed to be one of the top matchups of this season in the NFL, was postponed. From when Hamlin collapsed to when an official announcement was made, it took the league over an hour to postpone the game. Joe Buck, who was calling the game for ESPN, reported live on the air that the league originally gave players five minutes to warm up to resume play.
But play never resumed.
Troy Vincent, a former player who is now a league executive, told The Associated Press that the league never considered resuming play.
"It never crossed our mind to talk about warming up to resume play," Vincent said. "That's ridiculous. That's insensitive. That's not a place we should ever be in."
The NFL said Tuesday the game would not be resumed this week. The league left open the possibility the game could resume at a later date, although the regular season ends Sunday, and the NFL said no adjustments will be made to the upcoming week's schedule.
Meanwhile, dozens of Bengals and Bills fans arrived outside the hospital to support Hamlin.
Fans also supported Hamlin by donating to his charity. A toy drive Hamlin launched originally had a goal of raising $2,500. The drive has garnered more than $4 million as of Tuesday afternoon.
