Month: January 2023

Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin is in critical condition after he suffered cardiac arrest during Monday night’s game between the Bills and Bengals. With 5:58 remaining in the first quarter, Hamlin suddenly collapsed and fell to the ground shortly after rising to his feet following a tackle of Bengals wide receivers Tee Higgins. Hamlin received immediate medical attention on the field, receiving CPR on the field for several minutes while being placed on a stretcher and eventually into an ambulance, where he was given oxygen and transported along with some family members to the UC Medical Center in Cincinnati.  The Bills announced in a statement early Tuesday morning that Hamlin, 24, suffered a cardiac arrest following the hit with his heartbeat restored on the field. The team further divulged that Hamlin is “sedated and listed in critical condition.”

The game was temporarily suspended after coaches Sean McDermott of the Bills and Zac Taylor of the Bengals spoke on the field. About an hour later, the NFL decided to postpone the “Monday Night Football” between Buffalo and Cincinnati shortly after 10 p.m. ET. The league released the following statement: “Tonight’s Buffalo Bills-Cincinnati Bengals game has been postponed after Buffalo Bills’ Damar Hamlin collapsed, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell announced. Hamlin received immediate medical attention on the field by team and independent medical staff and local paramedics. He was then transported to a local hospital where he is in critical condition.Our thoughts are with Damar and the Buffalo Bills. We will provide more information as it becomes available. The NFL has been in constant communication with the NFL Players Association which is in agreement with postponing the game.”  The NFL chose not to address a potential rescheduling of the game in a media call late Monday night. That decision will ultimately rest in the hands of commissioner Roger Goodell.

The Bills flew back to Buffalo early Tuesday morning. Hamlin is in the middle of his second season with the Bills. He earned a spot in Buffalo’s starting lineup this season after appearing in 14 games as a rookie. Hamlin’s character and work ethic led to him making the Bills’ 53-man roster as a rookie. Bills GM Brandon Beane said of Hamlin during his rookie training camp: “Damar’s done a great job. He’s a very instinctive player. … He’s a great kid, he wants it, he’s working hard and he’s giving himself every chance to put himself in the mix despite being a sixth-round pick.”

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Tennis legend Martina Navratilova announced on Monday she has been diagnosed with stage-1 breast cancer and stage-1 throat cancer.  In a statement, Navratilova confirmed the diagnosis but remained upbeat, saying, “This double whammy is serious but still fixable. I’m hoping for a favorable outcome. It’s going to stink for a while, but I’ll fight with all have I got.”

Navratilova, a nine-time Wimbledon champion, sought testing for an enlarged lymph node in her neck in November, which led to the discovery of throat cancer. Shortly thereafter, a curable form of breast cancer, human papillomavirus, was also discovered. Navratilova said she is expected to begin treatment later this month. This is not the first time Navratilova has faced a cancer diagnosis; in 2010, she successfully underwent surgery and radiation treatment for a form of non-invasive breast cancer, announcing later that year she was cancer-free.

Navratilova is one of the greatest athletes in tennis history, winning 167 singles championships, including 59 Grand Slam titles and winning Wimbledon a record nine times. She also won the U.S. open four times, the Australian Open three times and the French Open twice.

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Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are returning to the playoffs after rallying in the fourth quarter to beat the Carolina Panthers, 30-24, and clinch the NFC South.  The Buccaneers rallied from an 11-point deficit to defeat the Panthers on Sunday, clinching their second straight NFC South title. It’s the first time in franchise history the Bucs have won back-to-back division titles.

For Brady, it is the 14th consecutive season he had made the postseason in his legendary career. Brady has only missed the postseason once in his career as his team’s primary starter (back in 2002 with the New England Patriots), and has led the Buccaneers to the postseason in each of his three years with Tampa Bay.

The Bucs improved to 8-8 on Sunday, and will open the playoffs with a home game on Super Wild Card Weekend.

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The New York Giants’ playoff drought is over. Big Blue are returning to the playoffs after defeating the Indianapolis Colts, 38-10, on Sunday.  The Giants (9-6-1) needed only a win over the Colts to secure the sixth seed in the NFC playoffs, where they are likely to play either the San Francisco 49ers or Minnesota Vikings in the wild-card round. NY are now bound for the postseason for the first time since 2016 and just the second time since the 2011 season when they won Super Bowl XLVI.

Brian Daboll became the first Giants rookie head coach to earn a postseason bid since Ben McAdoo in the aforementioned 2016 campaign; and quarterback Daniel Jones became the first starting QB since Eli Manning to deliver Big Blue to the postseason.

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