TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) – Just hours after Bills’ safety collapsed on the field during Monday night’s contest between the Buffalo Bills and Cincinnati Bengals, fans and NFL stars began flooding the safety’s foundation with donations.
With a little over five minutes remaining in the first quarter, Bills’ safety Damar Hamlin fell to the ground in one of the most frightening scenes in the NFL. After Hamlin went to tackle Bengals’ wide receiver Tee Higgins, Hamlin stood up, then fell backward. Medical aid was at his side in seconds.
CPR and an AED were administered to Hamlin before he was taken to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center, where he currently remains in critical condition. The Buffalo Bills confirmed Hamlin suffered a cardiac arrest.
Shortly after, players such as Devin McCourty, Bucs’ quarterback Tom Brady, and others followed suit and donated to Hamlin’s charity toy drive for the Chasing M’s Foundation.
Brady donated $10,000 to Hamlin’s cause while Saints’ quarterback Andy Dalton and his wife contributed $3,000.
The veteran quarterback also made a statement on Twitter saying, “We’re praying for Damar and his family this morning in Tampa. Moments like this put into perspective what it means to play this game we love. Thankful for our communities in Cincinnati and Buffalo for the overwhelming level of care and support I know they’ll continue to provide.”
Robert Kraft and the New England Patriots have one of the highest donations with a contribution of $18,003. The highest donation as of Wednesday morning is $20,000.
However, Brady wasn’t the only quarterback to add to Hamlin’s growing foundation, Rams’ quarterback Matthew Stafford, Seahawks’ quarterback Russell Wilson and his wife Ciara Wilson, and Saints’ quarterback Andy Dalton and his wife donated to the cause as well.
The Washington Commanders, Davante Adams and his wife Devanne, along with Patriots’ players – Lawrence Guy, Brian Hoyer, and Marcus Jones donated to the safety’s foundation.
It appeared that Hall of Famer Shannon Sharpe, Olympic gold medalist swimmer Michael Phelps, and Adam Schefter, who was an analyst for ESPN during the Monday Night Football game also made donations.
The GoFundMe that had an initial goal of $2,500 to “positively impact children who have been hardest hit by the pandemic” soared past the goal by raising over $6 million.
While everyone waits for more updates on Hamlin’s condition, his family released a statement on Tuesday thanking everyone for the love and support they’ve received.
“On behalf of our family, we want to express our sincere gratitude for the love and support shown to Damar during this challenging time,” the statement read. “We are deeply moved by the prayers, kinds words, and donations from fans around the country.”
“We also want to acknowledge the dedicated first responders and healthcare professionals at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center who have provided exceptional care to Damar,” the statement continued. “We feel so blessed to be part of the Buffalo Bills organization and to have their support. We also want to thank Coach Taylor and the Bengals for everything they’ve done.”
“Your generosity and compassion mean the world to us. Please keep Damar in your prayers, We will release updates as soon as we have them.”
For those wanting to donate to Hamlin’s foundation, you can do so by following this link.
