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Damar Hamlin and 'a night I know will stay with me forever': Marshall Kramsky remembers moments after collapse

Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin suffered a cardiac arrest during their game against the Cincinnati Bengals, the team said. He remains in the ICU, where fans have gathered outside to pray and provide their support.

By: Marshall Kramsky

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CINCINNATI — It was the stretcher. Never during my career as a journalist, nor as an athlete, have I ever seen a stretcher rushed out to the field of play as quickly as it was for Damar Hamlin. That’s when I knew this was different.

In the most anticipated regular season football game of the year, the Buffalo Bills visited the Cincinnati Bengals for what was expected to be an all-out brawl on the biggest of stages: Monday Night Football.

With 5:59 to go in the first quarter and already points on the board for both teams, all that mattered was the chance at the top seed in the AFC and a potential first-round bye for two serious contenders hoping to get the first Super Bowl victory in franchise history. With 5:58 to go, none of that mattered anymore.

Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins made his first catch of the game, tackled by Bills safety Damar Hamlin. Hamlin got up. Then Hamlin collapsed.

When Hamlin went down, I did the same thing I always do when I see an NFL player injured on the field. I grabbed my binoculars and went to see who was injured and how the medical staff seemed to be treating them. Except this time was different. I couldn’t see the player. He was surrounded by players, coaches and medical staff. Before the ESPN broadcast had a chance to show the replay, a stretcher was out on the field. Mumbles and theories in the press box started to form – people saying “it’s Tua 2.0.”

Between the time Hamlin went down and the time the ambulance drove onto the field felt like an eternity. The press box was tense: CPR was performed; we could see an AED. People were saying, “I think they just shocked his heart.”

About three months ago, I witnessed the infamous Tua Tagovailoa concussion on Thursday Night Football. This was different. I’ve seen a ski jumper fall and break their neck. I’ve seen a bone exposed on a shortstop’s leg when he collided with a left fielder. I’ve seen a hockey player checked so hard into the boards, he vomited before being taken off the ice in a stretcher. Unfortunately, the list goes on much longer. My point, I’ve seen a lot as both a journalist and an athlete. I have never seen anything like this.

So many people have asked, here’s what the Damar Hamlin incident looked like through my eyes. Praying for him and his family that he makes a full recovery. @WCPO #Bills #Bengals pic.twitter.com/Ts6IXhQnOI
— Marshall Kramsky (@marshallkramsky) January 3, 2023

The stadium was so silent, you could hear a pin drop. So many players on the field were overwhelmed, crying.

After the ambulance left, the players were walked off the field. The NFL said the game was postponed, and that everyone would be notified when play would continue. After seeing their reaction, the tears, the disbelief; there was no way the players were going to go back out onto the field.

I made my way down to the tunnels. There was sadness and disbelief mixed with concern and confusion. Concern for Hamlin and his family, who were in the stands and went with him to the hospital. Confusion, because it seemed like everyone was trying to figure out what happened, how it happened, why it happened.

As I watched the players, I was no longer confused – not due to any definitive answers, but because the energy immediately shifted to concern and support for their teammate and NFL brother.

Bills wide receiver Stefon Diggs left the stadium before the game was even officially announced to be suspended, allegedly in an UBER, making his way to support Hamlin in the hospital. Joe Burrow and other Bengals players walked to the Bills locker room. Later on, a teary-eyed Josh Allen made his way to the Bengals locker room. They were not players acting, they were men, friends, reacting.

For over an hour, I and fellow media members were held up in a hallway, others on the field. Although the job continued, and I did my best to post any updates I received, there was a feeling of being helpless. Yes, it’s a responsibility to inform, but at this point, all that really mattered was hoping Damar Hamlin and his family would be OK.

The night continued, every angle of this story continued to be shared, but the sentiment remains. The questions don’t matter. All that matters is this horrible moment is part of Damar Hamlin’s history, not his future.

It’s a night I know will stay with me forever, like most everyone at Paycor Stadium on January 2, 2023.

Marshall Kramsky is a sports anchor and multimedia journalist at WCPO 9 News who covers the Cincinnati Bengals in addition to all other Tri-State teams.