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'It's bigger than football': Zac Taylor speaks for first time about Damar Hamlin going into cardiac arrest

Hamlin remains in critical condition
Zac Taylor Press Conference 1/4
Posted at 12:28 PM, Jan 04, 2023
and last updated 2023-01-04 16:20:50-05

CINCINNATI — After Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin went into cardiac arrest during Monday Night Football's game against the Cincinnati Bengals, the first thing Bengals coach Zac Taylor said Bills coach Sean McDermott told him was that he needed to be at the hospital with Hamlin.

"'I need to be at the hospital with Damar, and I shouldn't be coaching this game,'" Taylor said McDermott told him.

Zac Taylor on talking with Bills coach Sean McDermott

Head coach Zac Taylor spoke for the first time Wednesday regarding the incident and his experience.

Taylor first and foremost thanked the medical personnel for their quick response following Hamlin collapsing.

"They were on it," Taylor said. "They were composed."

Hamlin was rushed to the hospital after tackling Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins during the first quarter of the game. He got up from the play, but within a matter of seconds he collapsed. The 24-year-old was resuscitated twice — once on the field and once at the hospital, according to Hamlin's uncle, Dorrian Glenn.

"I've never been a part of something like that on the field," Taylor said. "There's no protocol for that."

Taylor said everyone on the field could feel the seriousness of the situation.

RELATED | Explainer: What happened to Damar Hamlin?

Following the immediate rush of medical personnel onto the field, Bengals and Bills players were visibly emotional along the sidelines. Some players were huddled around the medical staff, while others were kneeling and holding hands.

After the ambulance carrying Hamlin left the field, Taylor and McDermott — who Taylor said he has great respect for — met on the field and brought their teams to their respective locker rooms as the game was "temporarily suspended."

The two coaches could be seen in a stadium tunnel speaking together and passing a phone back and forth, talking to NFL officials.

Taylor didn't divulge the majority of what him and McDermott spoke about, only commenting on McDermott's concern for Hamlin.

Taylor said the Bengals captains approached him and McDermott to go speak with the Bills captains.

"For them to come together ... you could tell that was something both locker rooms needed," Taylor said.

Quarterbacks Joe Burrow and Josh Allen were both seen walking into the opposing teams' locker rooms.

The game was suspended indefinitely shortly after. The Bills left Cincinnati Monday night to return home to Buffalo.

"We're all praying for the best possible outcome here," he said.

The Buffalo Bills said Wednesday that Hamlin remains in critical condition in to the UC.

Hamlin's uncle told ESPN Tuesday night he remains sedated on a ventilator, though he's improved from needing 100% oxygen to needing only 50%.

RELATED | Tee Higgins, Tyler Boyd and more send prayers to Bills safety who collapsed during Monday Night Football

The NFL announced Tuesday the game would not be played this week. There is currently no word on when, or if, the game will even be played as teams head into the final week of the regular season.

The Bills are scheduled to play the New England Patriots on Sunday, but offensive tackle Dion Dawkins said the team is focusing on Hamlin.

"Anything we have to give is for Damar and his family," Dawkins said. "We understand that we have a job ... but every emotion, every bit of energy that we have, we're giving it to Damar."

Taylor said he and the Bengals are focusing on their Week 18 game against the Baltimore Ravens.

"You do have to move forward as a team because we do have a game to play Sunday," Taylor said.

READ MORE:
Damar Hamlin's family: 'Please, everyone, keep praying' after Bills safety suffers cardiac arrest
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'We're not alone in this': Processing the aftermath of Damar Hamlin's cardiac arrest