Opinion: NFL’s response to Damar Hamlin situation a shameful new low

The look on Josh Allen’s face is the image we will remember most from this evening. His hands were cupped over his nose and mouth, but his eyes revealed a story that was also reflected by his teammates’ reactions: they were afraid that Bills safety Damar Hamlin’s life was in danger.

The nature of Hamlin’s injury has not yet been reported, but what is clear is that it is indeed life threatening.

After making a tackle that took the brunt of the force in his chest, Hamlin stood up and then collapsed on the field. CPR was performed on him for several minutes, then he was taken to the University of Cincinnati hospital, where he’s reportedly been intubated and is listed in critical condition.

Credit should go to the Bills and the Bengals players, whose shared humanity shined through in the most horrific live-sports moment of all time.

Head coaches Zac Taylor and Sean McDermott also deserve commendation for putting the health of their players over the demands of the National Football League, which has hit an unthinkable new low when it comes to “player safety.”

There have been some awful takes tonight on Twitter regarding the postponement. However, the true villain is the NFL, which told players they had five minutes to get ready and resume the game. The league added more insult to injury by not calling the game off until over an hour after Hamlin collapsed – well after they knew that he was not breathing on his own.

Thankfully, McDermott and Taylor told the league to sit on it, pulling their players off the field and into the locker rooms so they could get out of the public eye and deal with the situation like human beings rather than money-making machines.

The NFL has released a press statement about postponing the game and Hamlin being in their thoughts, but their claim to care anything about player safety has never rung more hollow.

Story originally appeared on Seahawks Wire