Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin’s family provided another update about his condition after he underwent cardiac arrest during a Monday night game, saying, “things are moving in the right direction.”
Jordon Rooney, Hamlin’s marketing representative, told the NFL Network on Wednesday that the family insists no one blame Cincinnati Bengals wideout Tee Higgins for the incident. Hamlin collapsed on the field after tackling Higgins during the game on Monday. Emergency personnel administered CPR before he was transported to a hospital.
“Right now things are moving in a positive direction,” Rooney shared. “The doctors, what they were looking to see, I think they saw that. I can’t speak specifically on it, but things are moving in the right direction.”
Speaking with Damar Hamlin family friend Jordon Rooney @jordonr on @nflnetwork about positive signs doctors have seen over last 12 hours & level of clarity they have on Damar’s recovery moving forward: pic.twitter.com/tGH3fWdtfW
— Cameron Wolfe (@CameronWolfe) January 4, 2023
He also responded to accounts that Hamlin had to be resuscitated not once, but twice.
“There was some reports last night that he was resuscitated twice,” Rooney said. “So we wanted to clarify … he was only resuscitated once. Outside of that, things have just been moving in the right direction.”
“There’s not clarity at this point in terms of how long it’s going to be … So for the family it’s just a matter of seeing more positive signs and hopefully keep building on that,” he added.
Rooney also addressed some responses directed at Higgins.
“Damar’s parents were a little bit frustrated that Tee was receiving any sort of negative backlash,” the player’s rep shared. “This was a regular football play. He reached out. He’s been supportive of Damar’s family. So the family doesn’t want any negative backlash towards Tee at all.”
On Tuesday, Hamlin’s family released a statement expressing their “sincere gratitude” for “the love and support shown.”
“We are deeply moved by the prayers, kind words, and donations from fans around the country,” the statement shared.
“We also want to acknowledge the dedicated first responders and healthcare professionals at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center who have provided exceptional care to Damar,” the statement added. “We feel so blessed to be a part of the Buffalo Bills organization and to have their support. We also want to thank Coach Taylor and the Bengals for everything they’ve done.”
Related: NFL Game Suspended After Player Collapses On Field, CPR Given