What Mike Vrabel, Tennessee Titans players said about scary Damar Hamlin injury
Hours after the devastating injury that sent Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin to the hospital and postponed the Bills game against the Cincinnati Bengals, Tennessee Titans coach Mike Vrabel and his players are reflective, saddened and contemplative about the injury.
The Titans (7-9) have practice Tuesday, preparing for Saturday's regular-season finale (7:15 p.m., ABC/ESPN) at the Jacksonville Jaguars (8-8). But Hamlin was the main topic of conversation ahead of the practice and the topic Vrabel began his Tuesday press conference with.
"Obviously we want to, on behalf of the Titans organization, our players and everybody involved, send our deepest sympathies and our concerns and our prayers to Damar, who by all accounts is fighting his tail off in Cincinnati, and to his family who watched that all unfold in front of their eyes," Vrabel said. "To Damar's football family in Buffalo and Pittsburgh, those teammates. We have one of those guys. Rashad Weaver was a teammate of his at Pittsburgh. So we're doing whatever we can to be able to support him and sending out obviously our thoughts to everybody involved and just commend (Bengals coach Zac Taylor) and (Bills coach Sean McDermott) for their leadership they showed last night and the example they showed. I'm really in awe of the players on both sides. The way they supported each other was amazing to see."
Hamlin was in critical condition at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center as of Tuesday morning. Per reports, his heartbeat has been restored after suffering cardiac arrest and receiving several minutes of CPR on the field following his collapse.
His injury shocked the football world, causing Monday's game to be suspended. Current and former NFL players, fans and media took to social media to support Hamlin after the injury, lending not just players but also financial aid, donating more than $3 million to Hamlin's toy drive charity in a matter of hours.
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"We've had some great conversations," Vrabel said. "I had an opportunity to discuss this, how everybody's feeling. I think guys understand the severity of this. They understand the game and what we love. Sometimes things that you love the most and that can give you the most can also take the most away. But there were some really cool comments that our players shared with each other and me and everybody else. I think they're doing their best to support former teammates who are in Buffalo but also understand that we have a great opportunity to continue to do what we love to do.
"One of our leaders said, this is someone that knows Damar, is that they're grateful. This reminded them that they're grateful that they get to do this. I thought that that was really special to hear some of those guys talk."
Just before 11 a.m. Tuesday, Hamlin's family issued a statement expressing gratitude for the support, prayers and donations they've received.
"Your generosity and compassion mean the world to us," the statement read. "Please keep Damar in your prayers. We will release updates as soon as we have them."
The Titans were witnesses to another scary Bills injury earlier this season, when cornerback Dane Jackson had to be hospitalized after a collision with a teammate. Jackson, who was a college teammate of Hamlin's, was released from the hospital the day after the collision and missed just one game before returning to the field.
Nick Suss is the Titans beat writer for The Tennessean. Contact Nick at nsuss@gannett.com. Follow Nick on Twitter @nicksuss.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Damar Hamlin injury update: What Mike Vrabel, Tennessee Titans said
