Joe Biden has spoken with the parents of stricken Buffalo Bills player Damar Hamlin.
Joe Biden has spoken with the parents of stricken Buffalo Bills player Damar Hamlin
The US president, 80, told reporters when he arrived back at the White House from Kentucky he had talked with the family of the NFL star – who suffered a cardiac arrest on the field earlier this week – “at length” while their son remains in an intensive care unit in critical condition.
Safety player Damar, 24, who is being treated at a Cincinnati hospital, is still recovering in hospital following his medical emergency on-field on Monday (02.01.23) night, which occurred after he made a hit on a Cincinnati Bengals player and collapsed during the game.
Mr Biden also admitted the dangers of the high-impact professional sport when asked by assembled media if he thought it was too dicey a game to play.
He said: “Look, the idea that you’re gonna have, look you’ve got guys that are 6ft 8in, 340 pounds running a 4.8, 40... if you hit somebody with that kinda... now that’s not what happened here... but I just think it’s – I don’t know how you avoid it.
“I think working like hell on the helmets and the concussion protocols, that all makes a lot of sense. But... it is dangerous. We’ve got to just acknowledge it.”
The Buffalo Bills updated fans on Wednesday (04.01.23) on Damar’s condition by tweeting he was displaying “signs of improvement”.
They added: “Damar remains in the ICU in critical condition with signs of improvement noted yesterday and overnight. He is expected to remain under intensive care as his health care team continues to monitor and treat him.”
The Hamlins’ family friend Jordon Rooney said he had been resuscitated once following his collapse, despite earlier reports it was twice.
He said: “Things are moving in a positive direction, what the doctors were looking to see I think they saw that. Things are moving in the right direction.”
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