Damar Hamlin

Damar Hamlin (Photo: Buffalo Bills)

An absolutely awful scene played out on the field in Cincinnati tonight.

With 5:58 remaining in the first quarter of a big matchup between the Bengals and the Buffalo Bills, Bills safety Damar Hamlin made a tackle of Cincinnati's Tee Higgins.

Hamlin stood back up and, seconds later, collapsed.

He was reported on the turf for nine minutes before word came that CPR was being administered.

Eventually, Hamlin was loaded into an ambulance and taken out of the stadium to a nearby hospital.

The faces of the players told everything. Bills teammates openly cried. Bengals players joined them in support.

Finally, the game officials and coaches came together and elected to temporarily suspend the game. That's where we are as I write.

Those are the basic facts.

As a broadcaster, fan, and observer of sports media, I'm watching this with a variety of eyes.

It starts in the booth, where I can picture Chris Erway and me navigating this. Look, I've dealt with injured players and there is no roadmap. I'm not calling professional sports in these spots always, but regardless of level, I'm avoiding any form of hyperbole or speculation.

My firm belief is to report on what you see. That is all.

To that end, I think the ESPN crew on this broadcast has been magnificent in what is (overall) uncharted territory. 

Joe Buck led the way by simply stating the facts with Troy Aikman in the booth. Lisa Salters on the sideline is the closest to things as the field reporter. Each one has been measured in their comments and reporting, showing that, indeed, these are journalists with some integrity. 

When Buck reported that CPR had been administered, that was the first time my brain shifted from, "Oh, this isn't good" to "Oh my God. This is horrible."

We see injuries. Some are gruesome. Some require a ride on a stretcher to a waiting ambulance. 

They almost never involve an ambulance coming onto the field.

As a broadcaster, all we can do is what Buck, Aikman, and Salters did: report what we see.

Eventually, the broadcast headed to the studio where Suzy Kolber, Adam Schefter, and Booger McFarland tried to digest what has happened. McFarland, in particular, spoke in terms so hushed that it was hard to hear him.

This has been going on for about an hour as I type (it's almost 10 p.m.) and, at this point, little has been resolved. I feel for each broadcaster as they try to discuss the situation rationally without speculation or exaggeration.

They've taken myriad commercial breaks and, if anything, are almost flabbergasted that the game hasn't been called off tonight.

In fact, when discussing the stats of the game, Joe Buck pointedly said what many feel: "Who cares?"

At this point, it's not about the game. Yes, it's a big game. But, guess what, it's a game. As I always say, "It's a business" and it is but this is life and death. For the love of Pete Rozelle, does that need to be further defined?

(10:01 p.m.: The NFL has called the game off for tonight. Common sense prevailed.)

While I've never seen anything like this personally, I was reminded of Chuck Hughes, a 28-year-old receiver for the Detroit Lions who collapsed with just over a minute left in a game against the Chicago Bears in Oct 1971. 

Hughes suffered a heart attack and was declared dead roughly an hour later.

Thanks to Adam Prince for reminding me of Hughes's name.

The mood on ESPN has been incredibly grim. The Monday Night Football broadcast has just ended and they've shifted over to Scott Van Pelt and SportsCenter.

Sports is our escape. It is our love and our passion. But it's also played by human beings. Living, breathing people. We're used to seeing players get injured and, even if they're carted off, we see the player offer a thumbs-up or some indication. 

That did not happen tonight.

At this point, nobody is thinking about the inconvenience of the suspension of the game, nor should they.

ESPN -- sports people -- have pivoted into news people, as they have to. But they're also doing it with a catch in their throats, trying to withhold their emotion.

It's been remarkable television.

It's been handled incredibly well.

It's a horrible night for the NFL.

But I'm astounded at ESPN. My hat is off to them.

The priority is Damar Hamlin. 

And we all hope the reports will be positive.