ESPN Stands by Report That NFL Wanted to Restart Bills Game After Damar Hamlin’s Collapse
ESPN said that it stands by its report that the NFL was planning to restart the Buffalo Bills–Cincinnati Bengals game after Bills safety Damar Hamlin collapsed on the field and suffered a cardiac arrest on Monday night.
After Hamlin’s collapse, ESPN reported during its “Monday Night Football” telecast that after Hamlin was taken off the field during the game’s first quarter, play would resume and that both teams were provided a 5-minute warm-up notice. The game was instead postponed, and the NFL issued a statement on Tuesday that it will not resume this week.
An NFL executive, meanwhile, said hours after the game that the league said it never considered resuming the game. After ESPN reported that play would be resumed, a number of fans and social media users expressed anger due to the severity of Hamlin’s condition. The Bills player remains hospitalized in critical condition as of Wednesday, family members said….