NFL executives praise medical response following Damar Hamlin's injury

Russ King
2022-12-17T00:00:00-05:00

NFL executives praise medical response following Damar Hamlin's injury
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Dr. Allen Sills, the NFL’s chief medical officer, complimented the immediate response by medical personnel after Bills safety Damar Hamlin was injured Monday night.

“It’s certainly not an exaggeration to say that the skilled and the immediate response by all of these talented caregivers prevented a very tragic outcome at that moment,” Sills said.

“Certainly, we never want to see events like this occur but if there were to be a medical emergency there was absolutely the right team, with the right equipment, and the right training on-site and able to provide care."

Sills, talking on a media call on Wednesday, did not provide a medical update on Hamlin's condition.

An ambulance transports Damar Hamlin out of Paycor Stadium in Cincinnati on January 2. (Dylan Buell/Getty Images)

Troy Vincent, NFL Executive Vice President of Football Operations, also praised the first responders for their actions.

"My greatest fear has flashed in front of me that particular moment but to the goodness and grace of God, Damar is still here and he's still fighting," Vincent said during the league's virtual news conference on Wednesday.

Vincent was not on camera for the media call, but his voice was full of emotion.

"There's no playbook for managing real-time drama and emotions associated with immediate life-threatening event that occurred on Monday night," Vincent said. "There was only one policy and practice that mattered that evening and that was the emotional action plan by those first responders."

He added: " emergency action plan was executed to perfection, by individuals who rehearsed and practiced and trained for in-stadium health emergency and Dr. Sills and to the medical professionals, first responders to physicians to trainers, the EMTs that evening was outstanding. You gave our brother, Damar, another day to live, another chance to fight."