One of the scariest moments in football history took place last night. The image of Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin getting up from a hit just to fall down unconscious is something I will remember for a long time. As players, coaches, and medical staff from both teams circled Hamlin, tears ran down many of their faces, as they focused on making sure Hamlin would survive, as it should've been. Now that the dust has settled, another player deserves our attention, and that is the wide receiver from the Cincinnati Bengal.
Hamlin went into cardiac arrest after being hit by the player. After watching the play a number of times, it is clear that there was no head-to-head contact on the play, as any professional football player would know. Several people don't think that Higgins meant no ill will towards Hamlin.
After the hit, Higgins was flooded with comments from people who blamed him for what happened. Some people went as far as to call him a murderer. Several others commented on the posts and reminded him that he could have never predicted what happened and that Hamlin's condition was a freak accident. Right now, it's important that Higgins hears those messages.
The man was distraught after he realized what had happened. He wrapped his arms around his mother and blamed himself. I can't imagine how much it would cost. Everyone has heard stories of how killing another person can ruin their mind. Several people never recover from that type of trauma.
Other athletes have expressed immense guilt after delivering hits that injured other players. Alex Smith's life was in danger after he broke his leg after being hit by a sack byJJ Watt. Watt said he was sick and terrible after it happened, and you can see the desperation in his movements as he realized how much he hurt Smith. Watt struck his head with his hands. Even though he couldn't have predicted the injury would become from a sack, he felt terrible.
Watt was able to keep playing football despite his troubles. I think he reached out to Smith several times to apologize, and I hope he didn't blame Watt for Smith's recovery. It is likely that receiving forgiveness from the affected person would go a long way towards helping Higgins get through this traumatizing moment, but that doesn't mean we can't let him know that he is not at fault. The more he hears it, the more he will believe it, and the less he will hear it, the more chance he will get to be blamed.
Most of the attention should be given to Hamlin. A man's life, livelihood, and way of living are all at stake, and making sure he is okay should be the top priority. We have to lend a hand to both Hamlin and Higgins. Even though he has family, friends, and teammates to lean on, he is probably in a very dark place right now. Fans have a part to play. Prayers up for Hamlin.
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