An Unprecedented Injury

The story of Damar

Hamlin’s injury, the sceince behind it, and the ramifications for the sport of football as a whole.

By: PARKER MILES, Co editor-in chief

Monday, January 2nd, 2023. 8:55 P.M. Damar Hamlin, Buffalo Bills safety, delivers a strong hit to the heart from Tee Higgins, Cincinnati Bengals Wide Receiver. Initially, Hamlin returns to his feet, but immediately collapses to the ground. Doctors, medical staff, and trainers from both teams quickly rush to the field and administer CPR for roughly 10 minutes. Hamlin’s heartbeat was restored on the field and at 9:25, he was transported in an ambulance to the University of Cincinnati Medical center. In the medical center, Hamlin remained in critical condition and on a ventilator for approximately 3 days. Around the 2nd or 3rd day in critical condition, Doctors started to observe signs of improvement and approximately 60 hours after the injury occurred, Hamlin was taken off of the ventilator. Initially, he couldn’t speak, but he could write. Upon waking up, Hamlin asked who won the Monday Night Football game, and the doctors swiftly responded, “You have won the game of life”. In a mere 3 days, Hamlin had gone from practically dying on a football field to having enough oxygen to be removed from a ventilator, a truly incredible progression that left all NFL fans and experts in awe. On January 11th, Hamlin returned to Buffalo after being discharged from the University of Cincinnati medical center after a successful series of tests. Jamie Nadler, critical care physician and Chief Quality officer at Kaleida Health, mentions, “We have completed a series of tests and evaluations, and in consultation with the team physicians, we are confident that Damar can be safely discharged to continue his rehabilitation at home with the Bills”. 3 days after his return to Buffalo, Hamlin makes a visit back to the Bills training center in Orchard Park, N.Y. In just two weeks, Hamlin had gone from suffering cardiac arrest in an on-field collision to returning to the Bills practice facility and conversing normally with his beloved teammates. All NFL experts, insiders, and fans continue to be astonished by Hamlin’s rapid recovery, and considering the unlikelihood of the event, many believe that Hamlin’s quick recovery has been a miracle. With regards to the injury, it is important to examine the science behind how the injury occurred. Various Cardiac specialists say that Hamlin could have suffered a type of trauma called Commotio cordis. According to specialists from Cleveland Clinic, Commotio cordis is a condition where “abnormal heart rhythm and cardiac arrest happen upon a person, striking the chest directly over the heart at a very critical time during a heartbeat” (Cleveland Clinic). This explanation accurately describes what Commotio is and how it occurs, but it fails to clarify when the condition can occur. Dr. Rod Passman, director of the center of arrythmia research at Northwestern University, mentions that the condition occurs when, “a sharp hit lands directly over the heart at the exact wrong location at the exact wrong timing” (AP News). As a result, it seems that Commotio cordis is incredibly rare as a myriad of circumstances must align for the condition to occur. The condition is so uncommon that it only occurs “probably 20 times a year”, according to Dr. Mark Link of UT Southwestern Medical Center. He continues, “only about 60 percent of those impacted survive. The main worry for survivors is brain damage from the lack of oxygen when the heart stops pumping blood” (AP News). For the doctors at University of Cincinnati, the primary concern was that even if Hamlin did survive the injury, he could have lost enough oxygen to the point where his brain could not function. At which point, Hamlin would not make it. Doctors and former players point to this injury to highlight the dangers that playing football can entail.

Hamlin’s injury does highlight the risks of playing tackle football, but there has been a misconception that the game is dangerous because of what happened to Hamlin. First and foremost, Commotio cordis is an extremely rare injury that, as mentioned before, only occurs roughly 20 times a year. However, this injury can happen in a variety of ways and 99 percent of the time, football is not the culprit. According to the Washington Post, “this injury can also happen when a player is struck in the chest by a hard object such as a baseball, hockey puck or lacrosse ball” (Washington

Post). In other words, this injury can happen in many different settings and, contrary to popular belief, football does not necessarily increase the likelihood that this injury happens. In fact, the last time that anything remotely similar happened on a football field was when Chuck Hughes, a Detroit Lions wide receiver, collapsed and died on the field in October of 1971. However, Hughes was merely running a decoy route down the field, which meant that he was not even tackled. As he was jogging back to the huddle, he collapsed and died on the field. Doctors said at the time that Hughes was “suffering from advanced arteriosclerosis, a heart disease that was undiagnosed” (SportsKeeda). The reason for Hughes’s death is critical because while he did die on a football field, it was not triggered by one hit in particular. Rather, it was the culmination of a major undiagnosed problem. This event shows that Hamlin’s injury is truly unprecedented, thus highlighting the rarity of the injury.

“The truth is football is dangerous because of all the other injuries that happen during the game”, according to the Washington Post. The article continues, “The broken bones, the torn knees, ankles and shoulders are a regular part of any game” (Washington Post). These injuries are much more commonplace and if they are accumulated over a career, they can possibly lead to long-term physical issues. Perhaps most importantly, playing football can have many long-term effects on the brain. According to the Washington Post, “Football players may get chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) from repeated blows to the head. This can lead to symptoms such as headaches…memory loss and anger control issues” (Washington Post). The article finishes by describing that football players that play for many years are more likely to develop this condition than others.

Despite the myriad of risks that come with playing football, these are risks football players are willing to take. For example, Nate Burleson, former NFL player described on the Dan Patrick Show, “this is what we sign up for. No matter where on the spectrum the injuries may fall, we want to play the game” (Dan

Patrick Show). Burleson’s comments are significant as they show that at any level of football, if a person truly loves the sport and wants to play it, then they accept that injuries are just part of the game.

Overall, this injury has not only impacted NFL fans and coaches around the United States, but also coaches right here at HIES. At HIES, this event has been a way for football coaches to further reinforce the proper way to tackle and to deliver hits. Assistant Coach Nick Perotta mentions, “We are teaching a leverage tackling Style that was implemented by the Seattle Seahawks 10 years ago.” He also confirms that the coaches, staff, and trainers are doing whatever they can to minimize the possibility of an injury of this magnitude. He describes, “We ensure shoulder pads are fit correctly for each HIES player to ensure that their rib cage and vital organs are protected”.

Lastly, HIES coach Zach Slaney describes an event he witnessed similar to Damar Hamlin, and how it has reinforced the need for trainers and medical staff on hand for games at all times. He mentions, “I was a football coach at Pace Academy when Jordan Sloan was injured in 2020”. He continues, “Jordan was evaluated by an athletic trainer and was quickly carted off the field and taken to the hospital”. Jordan survived and has spent the last 2 and a half years fighting for his life. This event was shocking to all football coaches around the metro atlanta area, thus making them prioritize the need for athletic trainers and medical experts during games. Coach Perotta mentions, “We have discussed our current plan and best practices for the evacuation of an athlete, should one exit Riverwood or Baker”. He finishes, “Our training staff do an outstanding job and I have no doubt that in an emergency such as the Damar Hamlin situation, they would be prepared to save the player”. While the odds of such an injury is incredibly slim, the HIES medical staff are ready for whatever.