American football star Damar Hamlin collapsed during a primetime US National Football League game and is now in critical condition.
The 24-year-old Buffalo Bills player tripped over an opponent during the opening period of a game against the Cincinnati Bengals and fell to the ground.
Before being transferred to a nearby hospital, he received approximately 30 minutes of on-field medical care.
About an hour after the incident, the NFL decided to call the game off for the evening.
As the NFL season moves closer to its dramatic play-off stages, the emergency triggered an outpouring of well-wishes for Hamlin and brought attention back to the dangers of America’s most popular sport.
In the stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio, Hamlin was hitting Bengals receiver Tee Higgins when it looked that Higgins’ helmet struck Hamlin in the chest. He got to his feet, then tripped and landed on his back.
As CPR and oxygen were administered to Hamlin by medical personnel, players from both teams crowded around him. Many were observed bowing in prayer, many were seen to be upset, and some were seen to be crying.
The Cincinnati audience was silent during the ordeal, and television coverage frequently cut away from the action on the field.
NFL games are rarely called off due to injury, so the fact that it happened was a sign of how shocking and serious the issue was, according to pundits.
The matchup between the two teams, who are two of the top Super Bowl hopefuls this year, will take place on a Monday night in prime time during the last week of the NFL’s regular season.
