Bills' Damar Hamlin Showed Signs of Progress Overnight, Says Friend: Report

Damar Hamlin showed promising signs of recovery overnight, according to a close friend of the athlete who spoke to ESPN.

Jordon Rooney, a friend and business partner to 24-year-old Hamlin, said that the Buffalo Bills safety remains sedated in the hospital as of Wednesday morning, but doctors in the intensive care unit at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center saw "promising readings" of recovery on Tuesday night.

Hamlin's agent Ron Butler also told ESPN Tuesday night that his client's oxygen levels had improved.

The Buffalo Bills safety had to be resuscitated on the field after going into cardiac arrest during the Monday Night Football game against the Cincinnati Bengals.

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RELATED: Buffalo Bills Players Stay to Visit Damar Hamlin in the Hospital After His Cardiac Arrest

Hamlin collapsed on the field early in the first quarter on Monday night when he tackled Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins. He quickly popped back up after the tackle, before suddenly falling to the ground. Medical personnel administered CPR to Hamlin and appeared to give him oxygen as he was loaded into an ambulance.

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The 6'0", 200-lb. player was rushed to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center two miles away from the stadium. His parents, mother Nina and father Mario, were brought down from the stands to leave with him in the ambulance, ESPN reported.

Timothy T Ludwig/Getty Damar Hamlin

RELATED: Buffalo Bills Safety Damar Hamlin Had to Be Resuscitated a Second Time, Says Uncle

Hamlin's uncle, Dorrian Glenn, told CNN Tuesday night that the family is "just taking it day by day" as his nephew remains sedated. "It seems like he's trending upwards in a positive way," Glenn explained.

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He also told CNN that they're keeping his nephew "flipped over on his stomach" to help with blood in his lungs. Glenn added that the next step is to get Hamlin breathing on his own.

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Glenn said he was watching the game with Hamlin's younger brother in Pittsburgh when the incident happened.

"I'm not a crier, but I've never cried so hard in my life. Just to know, like, my nephew basically died on the field and they brought him back to life," he added. "It's just heartbreaking. It was a gut punch."

RELATED VIDEO: Buffalo Bills Confirm Damar Hamlin 'Suffered Cardiac Arrest' Playing Cincinnati Bengals

The NFL also announced Tuesday that the postponed game between the Cincinnati Bengals and Buffalo Bills will not be rescheduled for this week after the incident.

The league said in a statement shared on its website that it "continues to be in regular contact with the medical team caring for Damar Hamlin, and also the Bills and Bengals organizations and the NFL Players Association."

The statement continued: "After speaking with both teams and NFLPA leadership, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell informed the clubs today that the Bills-Bengals game will not be resumed this week."

The NFL said it has not decided whether the game will be played "at a later date," noting, "The league has not made any changes to the Week 18 regular season schedule."