Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin’s father has pleaded with fans to stop criticizing Cincinnati Bengals WR Tee Higgins after his left tackle led to Hamlin’s cardiac arrest on the field.
Damar Hamlin collapsed on the field and went into cardiac arrest after a tackle by Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins, and the 24-year-old required CPR for approximately ten minutes.
Hamlin was resuscitated at the stadium and transported to a local hospital in Cincinnati, where he remains in critical condition as doctors work around the clock to help him breathe independently and without a ventilator.
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Damar Hamlin’s father is calling for the criticism of Tee Higgins to stop, according to @ColeyHarvey
Higgins collided with Hamlin before collapsing during Monday’s game pic.twitter.com/GFhcoDLDMb
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) January 4, 2023
A family spokesperson said: “Damar’s parents are frustrated that Tee [Higgins] is getting some kind of backlash, this was a regular football play. Tee has reached out, has supported Damar and his family.”
American sports analyst and former New York Jets linebacker Bart Scott appeared on ESPN’s First Take with Stephen A. Smith on Tuesday and claimed Higgins was at fault for the incident.
“The NFL has tried to get its head out of the game. We hardly think about violent blows; we always associate that with defensive players taking aim and head down.
“But they introduced the rule maybe five years ago, that offensive players can’t use the crown, the helmet as a weapon, which is kind of what Tee Higgins did and I’m not trying to blame Tee Higgins, but that’s something that They tried to remove it.”
Higgins’ mother tweeted her response to Scott’s claims and was frustrated by the allegations against her son.
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— TEEHIGGINSMOM #85 #INFINITYx5 ???????? (@adizlady) January 4, 2023
Higgins was seen with his mother shortly after the game was postponed Monday night, walking through the stadium with his arm around her.
I’ve just been with Tee Higgins’ mom, who is now dating Tee, who has his arm around her. Tee was the one who collided with Damar Hamlin before collapsing pic.twitter.com/C1kzWI2hp5
— Kelsey Conway (@KelseyLConway) January 3, 2023
