Mike Tomlin gets emotional about Damar Hamlin as other teams cancel media availability
Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin has known Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin for 12 years, half of the 24-year-old's life. And with Hamlin in critical condition after collapsing on the field during Monday night's game against the Cincinnati Bengals, Tomlin decided to talk about what Hamlin, a Pittsburgh native, means to him.
Mike Tomlin on Damar Hamlin: "It's a really personal thing for me, being a Pittsburgher... I've known him since he was 12. I've got a lot of respect and love for him as a human being. ..."
"It's an honor to get to know young people like that."— Brooke Pryor (@bepryor) January 3, 2023
Coach Tomlin shares his very personal thoughts on Damar Hamlin: pic.twitter.com/gymuijitfp
— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) January 3, 2023
Hamlin collapsed after taking a hard hit to the chest while tackling Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins in the first quarter of Monday night's game. The game was stopped as paramedics gave CPR to Hamlin on the field for several minutes. He was then loaded into an ambulance and taken to the hospital with a police escort.
The Bills later announced that Hamlin had gone into cardiac arrest on the field and his heart had to be restarted by the paramedics. As of Tuesday afternoon, Hamlin remains in critical condition at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center's intensive care unit.
Tennessee Titans head coach Mike Vrabel spoke about Hamlin, as did players Kevin Byard and Hamlin's former Pitt teammate Rashad Weaver, during the team's scheduled media availability.
#Titans Mike Vrabel offers his words on Damar Hamlin: pic.twitter.com/QSJ0yhIHAL
— TURRON DAVENPORT (@TDavenport_NFL) January 3, 2023
#Titans Rashad Weaver reflected on time in college with Bills safety Damar Hamlin. They were teammates at Pitt. He offered these words then broke down in tears. The brotherhood from football is unlike any other in sports. pic.twitter.com/K5XniJBoRX
— TURRON DAVENPORT (@TDavenport_NFL) January 3, 2023
#Titans Kevin Byard weighed in on Damar Hamlin. pic.twitter.com/j19vrVOjdJ
— TURRON DAVENPORT (@TDavenport_NFL) January 3, 2023
Several teams cancel media availability
While the Steelers and Titans went forward with their media availability, the Philadelphia Eagles, New England Patriots, and Kansas City Chiefs all opted to cancel or postpone their scheduled media availability on Tuesday afternoon in light of Hamlin's situation.
The Eagles are postponing their normal Tuesday coordinator press conferences until Thursday “out of respect to the situation in last night’s game, and the uncertainty of Damar Hamlin's status.”
— Brandon Lee Gowton (@BrandonGowton) January 3, 2023
Patriots media availability with assistant coaches Cam Achord, Ross Douglas and Jerod Mayo today has been canceled.
Any talk of a game at this point is secondary. All thoughts with Damar Hamlin.— Mike Reiss (@MikeReiss) January 3, 2023
From the #Chiefs: “Out of respect for Damar Hamlin and the Buffalo Bills organization we are cancelling today’s media availability”
— Aaron Ladd (@aaronladd0) January 3, 2023
The Pro Football Hall of Fame was scheduled to release the names of the 15 finalists for the Class of 2023 in a Tuesday night announcement on NFL Network, but both the Hall and NFLN postponed that announcement until at least Wednesday.
The @ProFootballHOF and NFL Network, out of respect for Damar Hamlin, have agreed to postpone the release of the names of the 15 finalists in the Modern-Era Players category by at least 24 hours. Tentatively set for Wed Jan. 4, 8 p.m.
— Mary Kay Cabot (@MaryKayCabot) January 3, 2023
The NFL announced that the postponed Bills-Bengals game will not be resumed this week, and no changes are being made to the Week 18 schedule. As for when the game might be picked up again, that decision has yet to be made.
