After Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin had a heart arrest during the “Monday Night Football” game against the Cincinnati Bengals, the entire NFL world was shocked. Green Bay Packers star Aaron Rodgers was with the rest of the world when he watched the medical emergency Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin faced Monday.
Rodgers appeared on “The Pat McAfee Show” in his weekly spot Tuesday and he spoke about the Hamlin incident and how he texted Bills quarterback Josh Allen after he saw him emotional on the field.
“You know, it’s just one of the things, you’re watching the coverage because you’re worried about him, and you want some good news, and you’re hoping to hear some good news, and I reached out to Josh (Allen) right away,” Rodgers said. “I didn’t expect a response. He actually texted me back from the locker room, and you know, just because he’s a close friend, and I just felt for him, watching his face and just putting myself in their shoes – watching somebody you love on the ground. CPR, I mean, that’s when it gets real. They’re fighting to save this guy’s life not in the locker room or at the hospital, like, on the field. I can’t even imagine what that would be like to go through, so really tough night.
“You know, I was shook up. Still am feeling weird about it because I think your football mortality just comes right face-to-face because one of your brothers in the fraternity of the NFL is fighting for his life right now, so I’m glad to hear that update from his representation, and that’s all we can just hope for right now.”
“Whether you’re currently playing or done playing, you’re shook by this because you don’t think you’d ever see something like this on the field,” Rodgers added. “It’s bad enough when you see a guy gets carted off, right? That messes with you. Or when you see a guy take a really bad concussive shot, and you’re like, ‘Man, I don’t want that to be me.’ Am I going to have my cognitive function when I’m 50, 60? What kind of risk am I really setting myself up for. This kid’s 24 years old, right? This really, it f—ed me up last night.”
Updates on Hamlin’s condition have continued to come through since the 24-year-old was hospitalized. He has since woken up, had his breathing tube removed and face-times his teammates ahead of their final regular season game on Sunday.
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If there has been a silver lining to the awful scene that played out on Monday Night Football, it’s been the show of love for one another by NFL players.
Rodgers’ words and actions further show that the bond between NFL players transcends teams and that player health and safety trumps any game.
The league announced this week that the Bills-Bengals game would not be played and have since released a change to the playoff format to make things clearer in the final regular season week of the year.
