UPDATED with NFL’s decision to postpone the game for the night.
The “Monday Night Football” game between the Buffalo Bills and Cincinnati Bengals was suspended in the first quarter after Bills safety Damar Hamlin collapsed after a hit and was taken off the field by ambulance.
Hamlin, 24, received CPR on the field and was in critical condition, according to the NFL and ESPN reports. Moments after Hamlin collapsed, as he tried to rise after taking a hit, ESPN reporters described the sight of Bills players opening weeping. The team gathered in a circle on the field moments after Hamlin was taken away.
“This has been a jarring scene down on that field as players are watching a teammate and a brother go through intense CPR down on that field,” Joe Buck, “MNF” announced, told viewers at 10 p.m. ET after the NFL formally issued the decision to suspend the game for the night. There was no immediate word about rescheduling plans.
About 23 minutes after Hamlin collapsed, Bills coach Sean McDermott and Bengals coach Zac Taylor conferred and called a temporary suspension of the game.
Hamlin is a second-year NFL player and was in his second season with the Bills. He was transported to the nearest trauma center to Paycor Stadium in Cincinnati. Buck reported that Hamlin’s mother was on hand for the game and accompanied him to the hospital.
The score was 7-3 Bengals at the time the game was halted with about 6 minutes to go in the first quarter. Hamlin left the field in the ambulance about 9:25 p.m. ET.
“It’s really tough,” said “MNF” in-studio anchor Suzy Kolber. “All we want, all everyone in this world wants is to know is that Damar Hamlin is going to be OK.”
Kolber and “MNF” analysts Adam Schefter and Booger McFarland were deep into analyzing the pivotal game for the two top contenders in the AFC East. But the discussion quickly turned somber. McFarland, a former player with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Indianapolis Colts, looked stunned as he, Kolber and Schefter sought to make sense of the shocking development.
“MNF” announcers Buck and Troy Aikman were also left with few words but expressions of support for Hamlin and both teams. As the temporary suspension wore on, the ESPN team began to voice the sentiments of football fans across social media that the NFL should call the game. The hashtag #CalltheGame trended on Twitter.
The NFL’s formal statement noted that it had been in “constant communication with the NFL Players Association.”
The football pros of “MNF” knew that the game was over for tonight long before Roger Goodell, NFL Commission, called it.
“We’re done playing football tonight,” McFarland said at about 9:40 p.m. ET.
ESPN’s cameras shifted to outside the entrances to both team’s locker rooms. Viewers saw a grim-faced McDermott and Taylor conferring, and it was evident that Bills players and team staffers were starting to pack up.
After the game was called, Bob Iger, CEO of ESPN parent Walt Disney Co., was among those who publicly called for support for the young player.
“Tonight we should all be praying for Damar Hamlin,” the Disney chief said via Twitter.
Other top NFL stars, including Bills quarterback Josh Allen and Kansas City Chiefs’ QB Patrick Mahomes, shared Iger’s sentiment on social media.
(Angelique Jackson and Emily Longeretta contributed to this report.)