Latest / NFL Now / Damar Hamlin's Health Improves & The Bills Practiced for the First Time Since Monday

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Damar Hamlin's Health Improves & The Bills Practiced for the First Time Since Monday · NFL Now

• 0:05
  Speaker 1: NFL Now is a production of the NFL in partnership
• 0:08
  Speaker 1: with I Heart Radio, NFL Now NFL Network. We've been
• 0:19
  Speaker 1: sitting here since Monday evening saying, when can we bring
• 0:22
  Speaker 1: you some good news? When can we bring you, at
• 0:24
  Speaker 1: a minimum, some encouraging news. Steve White, Andrews Siciliano, Steve,
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  Speaker 1: we have encouraging news this morning on Tomorrow Hamlet. Yeah.
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  Speaker 1: Encouraging is a proper word. I mean we' We've got
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  Speaker 1: some good reports, probably in the last fifteen minutes, from
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  Speaker 1: the bills, from DeMar's family, from his teammates, as you're
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  Speaker 1: seeing the bill statement right here. Yeah, and they say
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  Speaker 1: that from the doctors caring for tomorrow Hamlet at UC
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  Speaker 1: Medical Center in Cincinnati. DeMar has shown remarkable improvement over
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  Speaker 1: the past twenty four hours. He's still critically ill, but
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  Speaker 1: he has demonstrated that he appears to be and this
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  Speaker 1: is the key Phraser neurologically intact. His lungs continue to
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  Speaker 1: eel and he is making steady progress. Moments before that
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  Speaker 1: tweet hit, his teammate. Hamblin's teammate ker Elam rookie in
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  Speaker 1: the secondary, said our boy is doing better. Awake and
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  Speaker 1: showing more signs of improvement. Thank you God, keep the
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  Speaker 1: prayers coming. Please all love three. When we saw that tweet,
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  Speaker 1: you first reacted, this is great, but what does kier
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  Speaker 1: elam no no, And then the Bills tweeted, and then
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  Speaker 1: our Ian Rappaport added to that, saying that tomorrow Hamblin
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  Speaker 1: has been gripping the hands of those close to him,
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  Speaker 1: which is another positive sign. Ian also reported that tomorrow
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  Speaker 1: Hamlin was able to open his eyes last night. He
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  Speaker 1: and is with us. Cam Wolf is outside the hospital.
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  Speaker 1: Mike Giardi is in Buffalo. Ian, start with you gripping hands,
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  Speaker 1: eyes open. Those are two huge steps here. Yeah, really
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  Speaker 1: incredible news. Hard to imagine better news for Damar Hamlin
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  Speaker 1: than this. Just thinking of that scene last night when
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  Speaker 1: he first opened his eyes and he's been surrounded by
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  Speaker 1: people close to him for the last seventy two hours
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  Speaker 1: at you See medical center, and just imagining the reaction
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  Speaker 1: from them when finally, for the first time, he opened
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  Speaker 1: his eyes, recognized them, was gripping the hands of those
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  Speaker 1: close to him, which is a sign of course that
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  Speaker 1: he knows who they are and feels in a way
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  Speaker 1: that that they are there with him. Pretty incredible just
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  Speaker 1: to think about that, and uh, you know, to imagine
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  Speaker 1: the fact that that he is responsive after all this
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  Speaker 1: neurologically intact was the words that the bills used, which
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  Speaker 1: had been you know, the hope, but reality is no
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  Speaker 1: one would know for sure what he was going to
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  Speaker 1: be like if he woke up. Let alone, when he
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  Speaker 1: woke up, um, you know, truly unimaginable. Here and and
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  Speaker 1: just talking to people close to him, guys, one thing
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  Speaker 1: that stands out to me is just how endlessly appreciative
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  Speaker 1: they are of the medical care that he has received,
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  Speaker 1: the speed at which he received it, from CPR on
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  Speaker 1: the field to the care in the hospital. Uh, doctors
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  Speaker 1: have saved his life. And that is truly amazing thing
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  Speaker 1: to consider. Yeah, one thing in the medical staff, all
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  Speaker 1: the way from the folks at the stadium to what's
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  Speaker 1: going on in the University of Sincinnati Medical Center has
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  Speaker 1: just been I mean, indescribable. But he in a quick
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  Speaker 1: follow up you mentioned that he opened his eyes. We
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  Speaker 1: know the initial reports was that he was sedated, okay,
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  Speaker 1: and and he had a respirator to have basically things
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  Speaker 1: help him function to heal. Do we know if he's
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  Speaker 1: off of that sedation or off of that respirator. Uh.
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  Speaker 1: My understanding is I asked if he is speaking. I
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  Speaker 1: was told he has not yet speaking because he still
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  Speaker 1: has a tube in. I don't know if that answers
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  Speaker 1: your question or not, but that is the state he's in. Uh.
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  Speaker 1: And I do know that the help that he was receiving,
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  Speaker 1: the oxygen that he was receiving, UH, that has been
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  Speaker 1: slowly waned off, which is another sign that his body
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  Speaker 1: is capable of of doing that itself. For lack of
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  Speaker 1: a better way of saying that, UM, So that is
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  Speaker 1: that is where he is still in critical condition, still
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  Speaker 1: has a ways to go, uh to to improve, and
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  Speaker 1: is still fighting, no doubt about it. But the positive
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  Speaker 1: signs here that his body doesn't need as much help
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  Speaker 1: as it first did, that he is recognizing those around him,
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  Speaker 1: He is awake. The hope is at some point soon
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  Speaker 1: he will be speaking, be able to speak. Um. These
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  Speaker 1: are all just really amazing outcomes. Yeah, amazing, and and
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  Speaker 1: each day seemingly another positive step. This happened Monday night.
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  Speaker 1: We are now sitting here Thursday morning. Cam Wolf is
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  Speaker 1: outside that hospital in Cincinnati. Cam. I know you recently
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  Speaker 1: were able to talk to um. Jordan Rooney, who has
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  Speaker 1: been a family spokesman through all of this, what was
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  Speaker 1: he able to add? Andrew Ill talked with multiple family
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  Speaker 1: members over the last twenty minutes, and it's been overwhelming emotion.
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  Speaker 1: You mentioned Jordan Runey, the family spokesperson. He mentioned to
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  Speaker 1: me that the two words that we've focused on here
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  Speaker 1: is neurologically intact. He said, Look, we heard the news
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  Speaker 1: from the doctors and it was overwhelming happiness, he said
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  Speaker 1: the parents. Right now, we're still trying to process, but
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  Speaker 1: everyone is very happy. Neurologically intact, he said. We've been
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  Speaker 1: hopeful and optimistic, but this is the news that we
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  Speaker 1: have been waiting for for a long time. He said.
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  Speaker 1: We're still not out of the woods yet. He's still
• 5:30
  Speaker 1: trying to get his lungs healed, but right now, the
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  Speaker 1: remarkable improvement that the Bills mentioned, that's something that's beyond
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  Speaker 1: what we could have hoped. And so there was just
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  Speaker 1: so much emotion there. I can hear it in his voice.
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  Speaker 1: I can hear it in the background in the hospital,
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  Speaker 1: and he said, look, I gotta go, I gotta talk
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  Speaker 1: to the family. We're gonna get something more firm, but
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  Speaker 1: right now we're just overwhelmed with excitement just house. We
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  Speaker 1: are getting this news that we've been waiting for for
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  Speaker 1: three days to hear, and now tomar Hamlin has got
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  Speaker 1: the most positive news he's received so far since he's
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  Speaker 1: been in the hospital, very very positive news. And we
• 6:01
  Speaker 1: think Mike Jordy news that is obviously getting around that
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  Speaker 1: Bill is building pretty quickly here. News and may have
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  Speaker 1: been given to these players knowing that care Elam tweeted
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  Speaker 1: some of this positive news before the Bills actually did. Yeah,
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  Speaker 1: And it's been such a fine balance for these players
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  Speaker 1: to walk right because of the concern that they have
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  Speaker 1: for their teammate, and they're like us, they've been hungry
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  Speaker 1: for every bit of news. So when they were able
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  Speaker 1: to talk to the father Mario via the zoom call
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  Speaker 1: last night, they felt that that was important to them
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  Speaker 1: to have that connection because he's in Cincinnati and they're
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  Speaker 1: here in Orchard Park. And then now to hear the
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  Speaker 1: news again that there's progress being made certainly heartens the group.
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  Speaker 1: And as I mentioned a short time ago, getting a
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  Speaker 1: text from one of them saying keep the prayers coming.
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  Speaker 1: They're working, they're they're feeling all of this guy's and
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  Speaker 1: it's it's it's important to them because he's the most
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  Speaker 1: important thing to them, And that's why this has been
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  Speaker 1: so difficult. That's why so many guys have been reserved
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  Speaker 1: about the situation because of the horrifying nature of what
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  Speaker 1: happened on Monday, and then now the hope and the
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  Speaker 1: prey and the wishing that their teammate, that their brother
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  Speaker 1: is gonna be fine and it's gonna return to normal,
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  Speaker 1: whatever that normal is, but some kind of normal, And
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  Speaker 1: to get this news makes them all feel better. And
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  Speaker 1: I'm sure they're going to continue to sit there and
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  Speaker 1: wait for more updates from the team and wait to
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  Speaker 1: hear again from the family, to hear more because again,
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  Speaker 1: it just continues to lift them up as they try
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  Speaker 1: to prepare for a football game this weekend, football game
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  Speaker 1: that the Patriots trying to make the playoffs through, a
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  Speaker 1: football game that could have implications obviously for the number
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  Speaker 1: one overall seed that is far less significant than anything
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  Speaker 1: we've discussed over the last ten minutes, and we could
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  Speaker 1: know details obviously a little bit later on that. But
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  Speaker 1: the good news now is that Tamar Hamlin is in
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  Speaker 1: proving Thank you Ian, Thank you Cam, thank you Mike Giardi.
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  Speaker 1: And look, he is not Steve in any way. We
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  Speaker 1: can't emphasize this enough out of the woods. But we've
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  Speaker 1: been sitting here since Monday night saying, give me any
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  Speaker 1: kind of sign here. This is the side that we've
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  Speaker 1: all been waiting for, his family first and foremost. Yeah,
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  Speaker 1: I mean again, when you hear the Bills say remarkable improvement,
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  Speaker 1: his agency, substantial improvement, these aren't really nearly adjectives that
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  Speaker 1: are being thrown out there. Again, We've we talked about
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  Speaker 1: the respect that everybody has shown to tomar Hamlin and
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  Speaker 1: his family throughout this whole process with a slow trickle
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  Speaker 1: of medical details. So for these adjectives to be put
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  Speaker 1: out there so emphatically tells you that he has made
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  Speaker 1: some type of recovery, but also added in there he's
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  Speaker 1: still critically ill. And you know, Andrew, you just talked
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  Speaker 1: about the Bills are getting ready to play a game
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  Speaker 1: against the Patriots, and the Patriots have a playoff birth
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  Speaker 1: at stake that they're they're playing for a playoff. The
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  Speaker 1: Bills are playing for a teammate and a purpose. And
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  Speaker 1: and I think this is this goes to just about
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  Speaker 1: every team I've talked to players some other teams who
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  Speaker 1: said they honestly before they were to step on the
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  Speaker 1: field this weekend, because we know the NFL calendars continued
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  Speaker 1: a week eighteen, they wanted to hear some good news
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  Speaker 1: on tomar Hamlin. And so I think it's more than one.
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  Speaker 1: It's it's needed most like and conscience. That's a good point,
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  Speaker 1: not to cutch off, but that's a really good point.
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  Speaker 1: I mean good conscience. But there's probably also a fear
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  Speaker 1: fact yes to some sort of what's gonna happen if
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  Speaker 1: a teammate has fallen on the field, how are they
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  Speaker 1: gonna I mean, we saw something that shook us all
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  Speaker 1: and we weren't even on the field, So how are
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  Speaker 1: they going to respond to that? So something like this
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  Speaker 1: to see a twenty four year old young twenty four
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  Speaker 1: year old young man, this is three days after the
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  Speaker 1: incident happened, and we're getting this positive news finally, Um,
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  Speaker 1: this is going to provide a little bit of whatever
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  Speaker 1: to other people process it. But something that's not negative,
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  Speaker 1: something that's not as fearful or as scary as we
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  Speaker 1: all have thought that we've seen that we were worried about.
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  Speaker 1: This is going to provide a little bit of hope
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  Speaker 1: to all of these young men and their coaches and
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  Speaker 1: the medical staffs everywhere, and the fans who supported this
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  Speaker 1: situation heading into games that will be played this weekend.
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  Speaker 1: And the phrase I've heard a few times this week
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  Speaker 1: from players from former players is well, hey, this is
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  Speaker 1: what I say up for, and then they all follow
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  Speaker 1: it with that's not what I said. Yeah, And this
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  Speaker 1: was one part of it. And what I think made
• 10:11
  Speaker 1: Monday's situation even scarier, if that's possible, is this wasn't
• 10:17
  Speaker 1: some high speed collision on a ball throne over the
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  Speaker 1: middle where the wide receiver goes up and the dB
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  Speaker 1: just lights him up. This was seemingly and everyday play, right.
• 10:29
  Speaker 1: It was a play that you see eighty times a game. Right.
• 10:34
  Speaker 1: It's a play where, to be quite frank, if you
• 10:36
  Speaker 1: at home might have been watching, and you might have
• 10:37
  Speaker 1: been holding your phone and kind of half bank attached
• 10:39
  Speaker 1: to you wouldn't even even looked up. But then themar
• 10:42
  Speaker 1: Hamlin got up and then he fell. And if you
• 10:45
  Speaker 1: are a player, knowing the nature of that hit, is
• 10:49
  Speaker 1: it in the back of your mind going what next
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  Speaker 1: quote unquote average play might get me? And knowing that again,
• 10:59
  Speaker 1: it's it's early. He is not out of the woods,
• 11:02
  Speaker 1: but remarkable, substantial. When you're throwing those adjectives around, it
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  Speaker 1: helps if it does. And in the fact he's opened
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  Speaker 1: his eyes and he's good God, he's gripping the hands
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  Speaker 1: of his family. Do you know how much that means
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  Speaker 1: for his first parents and family members, just to know
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  Speaker 1: that he knows they're there. Jeez, this is this is
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  Speaker 1: good news, but I mean, this is this is touching
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  Speaker 1: the nerve. Tomar Hamlin improving statement from the Bills, statement
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  Speaker 1: from teammates, and what we are reporting here as well,
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  Speaker 1: remarkable improvement the team says over the past twenty four hours.
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  Speaker 1: This from the Chargers. Let's go, yes, Sir Tamar, Let's
• 11:42
  Speaker 1: go absolutely. NFL Now NFL Network reaction after the news
• 11:53
  Speaker 1: this morning that the Bills say Tomar Hamlin is making
• 11:56
  Speaker 1: remarkable their words, improvement at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center,
• 12:01
  Speaker 1: where he's still in critical condition. Two doctors on the podium,
• 12:05
  Speaker 1: Dr Timothy Prits and Dr William Knight. The fourth, Good afternoon.
• 12:11
  Speaker 1: My name is Kristan Weavers, and I'm a senior vice
• 12:14
  Speaker 1: president in chief Marketing and Communications officer here at you
• 12:17
  Speaker 1: see health representing the University of Cincinnati Medical Center here
• 12:22
  Speaker 1: in Cincinnati, Ohio. We're delighted to join you today and
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  Speaker 1: to be invited by Damar's family and the Buffalo Bills
• 12:31
  Speaker 1: to give you an update on the medical condition of Damar.
• 12:35
  Speaker 1: I'd like to introduce these two incredible physicians that are
• 12:39
  Speaker 1: with us today. Dr William Knight, A Night the Fourth
• 12:44
  Speaker 1: is a professor in the Department of Emergency Medicine at
• 12:48
  Speaker 1: the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine. Dr Knight is
• 12:52
  Speaker 1: also the lead physician for the Cincinnati Team of Unaffiliated
• 12:56
  Speaker 1: Neurotrauma Consultants, Visiting Team Medical Liaisons, an emergency medical services
• 13:03
  Speaker 1: support in looting on field paramedics, airway management physicians, and
• 13:09
  Speaker 1: respiratory therapists. Dr Timothy Pritz is a trauma surgeon and
• 13:15
  Speaker 1: serves as a professor in the Department of Surgery at
• 13:18
  Speaker 1: the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine and the Division
• 13:22
  Speaker 1: Chief of General Surgery. I'm going to hand our beginning
• 13:26
  Speaker 1: comments over to Dr Pritts so he can begin to
• 13:29
  Speaker 1: share the current medical condition of Damar Hamlet. Dr Prince
• 13:37
  Speaker 1: definitely and everybody ingredients from the University Sycinanti Medical Center.
• 13:40
  Speaker 1: It's our privilege today to meet with you, UM and
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  Speaker 1: Dr Knight and I are representing the many, many individuals
• 13:48
  Speaker 1: and teams that have helped care for Mr Hamlin since
• 13:51
  Speaker 1: the on field event on Monday night. We would like
• 13:55
  Speaker 1: to share that there has been substantial improvement in his
• 13:58
  Speaker 1: condition over the past twenty four hours. We had significant
• 14:02
  Speaker 1: concern um about him after the injury and after the
• 14:07
  Speaker 1: event that happened on the field, but he is making
• 14:09
  Speaker 1: substantial progress. As of this morning, he is beginning to
• 14:15
  Speaker 1: awaken UH and it appears that his neurological condition and
• 14:20
  Speaker 1: function is intact. We are very proud to report that
• 14:24
  Speaker 1: very happy for him and for his family and for
• 14:27
  Speaker 1: the Buffalo Bill's organization that he is making improvement. He
• 14:31
  Speaker 1: continues to be critically ill and continues to undergo intensive
• 14:35
  Speaker 1: care in our surgical and trauma I s you. He's
• 14:39
  Speaker 1: being cared for by I SU Neurosurgery, I'm sorry, neurocritical
• 14:44
  Speaker 1: care teams, UH Trauma Surgery, and a cardiology team, as
• 14:48
  Speaker 1: well as our expert nurses and respiratory therapists. They are
• 14:53
  Speaker 1: attending to him and he still has a significant progress
• 14:56
  Speaker 1: that he needs to make but this remark, Uh, this
• 14:59
  Speaker 1: marks a really a good turning point in his ongoing care.
• 15:03
  Speaker 1: We are happy to entertained some questions and I believe
• 15:08
  Speaker 1: representatives from the Buffalo Bills are going to help facilitate
• 15:12
  Speaker 1: those for us. First of all, appreciate you Dr, Dr
• 15:15
  Speaker 1: Prits and Dr Knight for your time and your care
• 15:18
  Speaker 1: in this situation. I was Cameron Wolf within a phone network.
• 15:20
  Speaker 1: I just wanted to enquire if you can take us
• 15:22
  Speaker 1: through the timeline from when Damar came into your care
• 15:26
  Speaker 1: and to where he is now as far as what
• 15:28
  Speaker 1: you guys have done to get him to the significant
• 15:31
  Speaker 1: improvement stage. Sure, um, and and thanks for being here today.
• 15:37
  Speaker 1: What I can tell you is that our team involved
• 15:41
  Speaker 1: a significant number of the care team and involved in
• 15:45
  Speaker 1: helping with Mr Hamlet on the field on Monday night.
• 15:48
  Speaker 1: He was attended to by four of our emergency positions,
• 15:51
  Speaker 1: serving in the various roles as the airway physician, the
• 15:55
  Speaker 1: visiting team medical liaison, a neurotrauma consultant UM, as well
• 16:00
  Speaker 1: as one of the team positions for the Cincinnati Bells,
• 16:03
  Speaker 1: the SINNTI back goals UM as as everybody knows Mr
• 16:07
  Speaker 1: Hamlet stuff and a cardiac arrest on the field and
• 16:10
  Speaker 1: it was promptly recognized by the Buffalo Bills medical staff
• 16:14
  Speaker 1: and that allowed for a very immediate resuscitation on the field. UM.
• 16:18
  Speaker 1: He was promptly resuscitated. UM it did require CPR and
• 16:22
  Speaker 1: defibrillation and at which point he was transported to Universities
• 16:26
  Speaker 1: Sincea Medical Center when he was met by doctor by
• 16:29
  Speaker 1: Dr Prince and the trauma team as well as our
• 16:31
  Speaker 1: emergency medicine colleagues. He was managed and resuscitated and worked
• 16:35
  Speaker 1: up in the emergency department. UM had some additional tests
• 16:39
  Speaker 1: in the e D and in the hospital and then
• 16:42
  Speaker 1: has been managed in the surgical ic U. As as
• 16:45
  Speaker 1: Dr Prince said, it's been along and difficult road for
• 16:50
  Speaker 1: the last three days, has been very sick and and
• 16:54
  Speaker 1: has made a fairly remarkable recovery and improvement to the point,
• 16:57
  Speaker 1: as as Tim noted, UM he is now demonstrating that
• 17:02
  Speaker 1: sign of of good neurologic recovery as well as overall
• 17:06
  Speaker 1: clinical improvement as as has been previously reported related to
• 17:10
  Speaker 1: not just his vital signs, but a lot of his
• 17:12
  Speaker 1: other individual organ recovery. Thank you in brief brief follow
• 17:17
  Speaker 1: up there, I know you mentioned still in critical condition.
• 17:20
  Speaker 1: Is there a process or what he needs to do
• 17:22
  Speaker 1: to upgrade to stable condition? UM, you know, as long
• 17:26
  Speaker 1: as you know what we would like to see before we,
• 17:29
  Speaker 1: you know, upgrade him to stable condition, you know would
• 17:32
  Speaker 1: be breathing to you about and continue to improve. But
• 17:35
  Speaker 1: from a neurologic UM and a respiratory standpoint, Thank you,
• 17:40
  Speaker 1: appreciate you guys. Last question, Please appreciate the time this
• 17:44
  Speaker 1: really quickly. I wanted to ask. I know there's obviously
• 17:47
  Speaker 1: been so much going on, but to Mars toy fundraiser
• 17:50
  Speaker 1: raising over seven million dollars, I didn't know. I know
• 17:53
  Speaker 1: there's a lot, UM, but if you were able to
• 17:55
  Speaker 1: communicate kind of just the outpouring of support and what
• 17:59
  Speaker 1: his charity has been able to raise in these last
• 18:01
  Speaker 1: couple of days. You know, we can tell you that
• 18:05
  Speaker 1: us his parents, who are gond have been you know,
• 18:08
  Speaker 1: close to him the entire time and are amazing parents.
• 18:12
  Speaker 1: I can just tell you we wish everybody had parents
• 18:14
  Speaker 1: as wonderful as his parents are. UM and the Bills
• 18:17
  Speaker 1: coaching staff have all communicated, Uh, the outpornu of support
• 18:21
  Speaker 1: from Cincinnati, from Buffalo, from across the country. UM, you know.
• 18:24
  Speaker 1: We we've related that there's gonna be a lot of
• 18:26
  Speaker 1: toys for him to buy when he recovers from all
• 18:28
  Speaker 1: this and all we're all looking forward to that. But
• 18:31
  Speaker 1: but really the support and his parents feel the support,
• 18:34
  Speaker 1: the team feels the support, and everybody in the in
• 18:37
  Speaker 1: the ICU and in the medical center field of support.
• 18:39
  Speaker 1: So we we appreciate all that. I think Judi Batista
• 18:45
  Speaker 1: said it best when she said, I don't know that
• 18:47
  Speaker 1: I've ever felt like crying during a press conference like that,
• 18:50
  Speaker 1: crying after hearing good news. Two doctors moments ago the
• 18:53
  Speaker 1: University of Cincinnati Medical Center, Dr Prince and Dr Knight
• 18:57
  Speaker 1: said that Damarrow Hamlin's winning the game of life right now.
• 19:00
  Speaker 1: He had showing substantial improvement, called that improvement remarkable that
• 19:05
  Speaker 1: he's able to communicate now. Asked last night who won
• 19:07
  Speaker 1: the game, wrote that on a clipboard, able to nod
• 19:10
  Speaker 1: his head, said that his neurological functions seemed intact, and
• 19:15
  Speaker 1: that quote, the lights are on and he's home, the
• 19:18
  Speaker 1: cylinders are firing. Oh what a day here is. We
• 19:24
  Speaker 1: continue to get this good news and hopefully more good
• 19:26
  Speaker 1: news coming. Steve hych Andrews, Ciciliana here mat a Buffalo legend,
• 19:29
  Speaker 1: a Pro Football Hall of Famer, a man who played
• 19:31
  Speaker 1: for the Bill for fifteen years. This is Andre Reid,
• 19:33
  Speaker 1: who were eighty three with the Bills. Andre, you have
• 19:36
  Speaker 1: some tape there over the eight you were wearing DeMar
• 19:38
  Speaker 1: Hamlin's three on your chest. Right now, how about that
• 19:42
  Speaker 1: news we just got. It's just great to be with
• 19:45
  Speaker 1: you guys under these great circumstances. Um, the great news
• 19:49
  Speaker 1: out of Cincinnati with themar um. The power of prayers,
• 19:54
  Speaker 1: it's infinite, man, it is so powerful. You had a
• 19:57
  Speaker 1: whole nation um praying for this young man to pull
• 20:02
  Speaker 1: through this. And as you guys alluded earlier, he's not
• 20:04
  Speaker 1: out of the wood, but he is showing signs that
• 20:07
  Speaker 1: he was in the dark and now he could see
• 20:10
  Speaker 1: the light. And that's uh, that's the most important thing
• 20:13
  Speaker 1: to his family, to all fans across the nation. We
• 20:17
  Speaker 1: are ecstatic about that. He has a long way to go,
• 20:20
  Speaker 1: but uh, and you guys mentioned again the first responders,
• 20:23
  Speaker 1: the medical personnel. If it wasn't for them, we would
• 20:26
  Speaker 1: not be talking like this right now probably, And they
• 20:29
  Speaker 1: they were right on it, and they did everything they
• 20:32
  Speaker 1: had to do to give this kid a chance to
• 20:35
  Speaker 1: to survive this and these are these are the results
• 20:38
  Speaker 1: of it. So, you know, big krudos to them, Like
• 20:40
  Speaker 1: you said, see um Danny, Denny Kellington. I want to
• 20:44
  Speaker 1: give a shout out to Denny. He was one of
• 20:46
  Speaker 1: the medical personnel that was there, that was the first
• 20:48
  Speaker 1: guy that was there on the field, and everybody rallied
• 20:52
  Speaker 1: around him and things happened for reasons to a certain point.
• 20:56
  Speaker 1: And then when that happens, people become extraordinary, they become superhuman.
• 21:02
  Speaker 1: And this whole medical staff, not only are the Bills
• 21:06
  Speaker 1: and the Bengals, but all the people that were there
• 21:08
  Speaker 1: were so instrumental in this kid having a chance at life. Andrew,
• 21:12
  Speaker 1: you're still really tight with what's going on in Buffalo.
• 21:14
  Speaker 1: You do a lot of stuff with the Bills, you know,
• 21:16
  Speaker 1: the community so well, they've actually got the players actually
• 21:19
  Speaker 1: have to play a game this week. Right, this type
• 21:23
  Speaker 1: of news that we're seeing today, how does that help
• 21:28
  Speaker 1: in their recovery from what they witnessed and suffered through
• 21:31
  Speaker 1: firsthand on Monday. Yeah, well, two days ago, these guys
• 21:35
  Speaker 1: were you know, probably sitting in the locker or just
• 21:38
  Speaker 1: didn't know because we all didn't know the progress of
• 21:41
  Speaker 1: what was happening. We just knew he was stable. We
• 21:43
  Speaker 1: had a breathing tube and all this other stuff. But
• 21:46
  Speaker 1: today's news kind of guy gave him life. And whether
• 21:51
  Speaker 1: they have to play a game or they got to
• 21:52
  Speaker 1: play the Patriots on Sunday, this is what Damar would
• 21:56
  Speaker 1: want and this is what the nation would want. So
• 22:00
  Speaker 1: I think it's a new life for them and now
• 22:03
  Speaker 1: they can just go about their business. I'm sure Sean McDermott,
• 22:06
  Speaker 1: he's that kind of coach uh and and just watching
• 22:10
  Speaker 1: it Monday night with him and Zach Taylor to see
• 22:13
  Speaker 1: you know, he was like, well, I have to go
• 22:15
  Speaker 1: to the hospital. We can't play this game. That's the
• 22:18
  Speaker 1: kind of guy Sean is and that's the kind of
• 22:20
  Speaker 1: players that he coaches. And these guys pulled together. They
• 22:24
  Speaker 1: realized the situation and today was the best news they
• 22:28
  Speaker 1: can hear. And now they can take that little bit
• 22:30
  Speaker 1: of burden off their shoulders and realize that the mars
• 22:34
  Speaker 1: moving forward and things are looking up. And you know,
• 22:39
  Speaker 1: like you said before he squeezed a bunch of hands,
• 22:41
  Speaker 1: he opened his eyes. He asked, who won the game?
• 22:44
  Speaker 1: Do you want? Bottom line? You want the game? You
• 22:48
  Speaker 1: want the game of life, like you said, like everybody said,
• 22:51
  Speaker 1: a strong young man that has a will to live.
• 22:55
  Speaker 1: Um really did something for the nation and the whole
• 22:59
  Speaker 1: football world. The whole nation is uh is so envious
• 23:03
  Speaker 1: to that of him. Andre. We've tried to explain to
• 23:07
  Speaker 1: people today, UM, in the last few days, actually why
• 23:11
  Speaker 1: Buffalo is different. Yeah, you tell me put in your words,
• 23:17
  Speaker 1: you know, Andrew, there's really no words for it. I
• 23:20
  Speaker 1: this is and I said this earlier two on another
• 23:23
  Speaker 1: podcast that the last nine months, Buffalo has been through
• 23:27
  Speaker 1: a lot of things. You know, with the mass shooting
• 23:30
  Speaker 1: in May, they had two bad snowstorms that killed people. Um,
• 23:36
  Speaker 1: and now this that happened on Monday night. It just
• 23:40
  Speaker 1: so happens. The number three has been so synonymous with
• 23:43
  Speaker 1: all this stuff. That's three things. Um. The Sabers game
• 23:48
  Speaker 1: a couple of nights ago, one of the guys scored
• 23:50
  Speaker 1: three goals in three minutes. It's just how does that
• 23:55
  Speaker 1: all work? There's some kind of purpose for that. So
• 23:59
  Speaker 1: Buffalo and I use the word resilient, and that goes
• 24:02
  Speaker 1: back to when I was there during the Super Bowl
• 24:06
  Speaker 1: years with all the guys I had. We are a
• 24:09
  Speaker 1: resilient team in a resilient city, that people would give
• 24:13
  Speaker 1: you their shirt off their back if they if you
• 24:15
  Speaker 1: needed it. They donate money to other charities, They love
• 24:21
  Speaker 1: their team, They wake up each sleep drink football. That's
• 24:26
  Speaker 1: just Buffalonians for you. And that's how they are. And
• 24:29
  Speaker 1: they should be commended more around the nation for who
• 24:33
  Speaker 1: they are as fans and how they go about doing things.
• 24:38
  Speaker 1: And this is just a pure example of who they
• 24:40
  Speaker 1: are as fans. We've seen it this week. Andre Reid.
• 24:45
  Speaker 1: We appreciate you, We always do, especially coming on under
• 24:48
  Speaker 1: these circumstances. But we're happy that these circumstances in this
• 24:52
  Speaker 1: past hour have seemingly taken a turn that we're doing
• 24:55
  Speaker 1: so uh bearing some some good news, some encouraging news
• 25:00
  Speaker 1: about tomorrow. Amlin, I hope your family is doing while
• 25:02
  Speaker 1: Andrea will talk to you. So appreciate you, Andre, guys
• 25:05
  Speaker 1: doubt about it. Thank you the right Andre Reid Hall
• 25:07
  Speaker 1: of Famer from the Buffalo Bills. His old teammate Thurman Thomas,
• 25:11
  Speaker 1: who we reached out to and and and Thurman actually
• 25:14
  Speaker 1: issued a statement about his thoughts and his prayers and
• 25:16
  Speaker 1: why this is hitting him so hard. That was before
• 25:18
  Speaker 1: the press conference, and then Thurman took to Twitter after
• 25:22
  Speaker 1: that press conference. Thank you God, thank you, thank you,
• 25:25
  Speaker 1: thank you doctors, thank you everyone. Yep, Thurman Thomas is
• 25:30
  Speaker 1: all of us here, and all of us are with
• 25:32
  Speaker 1: tomorrowham see by Andrews Cicilian. Don't Mike Gardi here in
• 25:42
  Speaker 1: Buffalo where the Bills are back on the practice field, Mike,
• 25:45
  Speaker 1: right now they are. And in fact, Steve Tasker and
• 25:50
  Speaker 1: Chris Brown, who do one Bills Live, which is um
• 25:53
  Speaker 1: broadcast from inside the stadium or inside the facility, They're like,
• 25:57
  Speaker 1: there's a different energy in here. They heard the music
• 25:59
  Speaker 1: being played. Music at practice. There was none at the
• 26:01
  Speaker 1: walk through yesterday, So just a different vibe. And obviously
• 26:05
  Speaker 1: this is all tied to the news that we got
• 26:07
  Speaker 1: and sort of the feeling that they were uplifted by
• 26:10
  Speaker 1: the positive news about Tamar Hamlin's condition. And I do
• 26:13
  Speaker 1: want to point out Dion Dawkins Um who has been
• 26:16
  Speaker 1: the one guy that actually has done some media. Uh.
• 26:19
  Speaker 1: He went to social media a short time ago, in fact,
• 26:21
  Speaker 1: just before practice, and he tweeted about a man named
• 26:24
  Speaker 1: Denny Kellington. He's the assistant athletic trainer for this team.
• 26:29
  Speaker 1: He was the primary guy performing CPR on tomor Hamlet
• 26:34
  Speaker 1: on the field, and I'm told it was a team effort,
• 26:38
  Speaker 1: and I think we've heard multiple stories about that, but
• 26:41
  Speaker 1: we're finally getting a face and a name to put
• 26:44
  Speaker 1: on some of the people that were responsible for keeping
• 26:48
  Speaker 1: Tamar going and getting him to the hospital safely. And Yeah,
• 26:53
  Speaker 1: Denny Kellington, who Andrew you'll appreciate UM, used to work
• 26:57
  Speaker 1: at Syracuse University, was an assistant athletic trainer there, then
• 27:00
  Speaker 1: became the head football athletic trainer from two thousand five
• 27:04
  Speaker 1: to two thousand seven. The team has been with the
• 27:06
  Speaker 1: Bills ever since. Um deon Dakins shouting him out. Roger
• 27:10
  Speaker 1: Staffold chipped in as well, saying unbelievable work that he
• 27:13
  Speaker 1: and the team, the medical team did um to help
• 27:16
  Speaker 1: keep themar safe. And uh, it's just like I said,
• 27:20
  Speaker 1: a totally different vibe. They say, keep the prayers coming,
• 27:23
  Speaker 1: they meet it, they feel it. Uh, it's an important
• 27:26
  Speaker 1: thing for them, the support that they've gotten, and obviously
• 27:29
  Speaker 1: it's important for them to shout out some of the people,
• 27:31
  Speaker 1: the players at least that helped them. Mark Mike, you
• 27:34
  Speaker 1: know you you talked about the character of this team.
• 27:36
  Speaker 1: Some of the things they've gone through. When you see
• 27:38
  Speaker 1: Dion Dawkins do something like this, to me, this is
• 27:41
  Speaker 1: adds like just another layer of how well this team
• 27:44
  Speaker 1: is structured because of the inherent respect they have for
• 27:47
  Speaker 1: each other's position. So just your thoughts about that, and again,
• 27:50
  Speaker 1: you've been around this team a lot, if you can
• 27:52
  Speaker 1: just let us know about some of the makeup of
• 27:54
  Speaker 1: the players and the coaches, medical staff of this team
• 27:57
  Speaker 1: and why they're able to play the music out of
• 28:00
  Speaker 1: practice like today when they're still dealing with a better
• 28:03
  Speaker 1: but difficult situation. Comes back to family, right and guys
• 28:07
  Speaker 1: trusting one another. What what's right in this situation. Nobody
• 28:11
  Speaker 1: has a playbook for it. But if we lean on
• 28:13
  Speaker 1: each other, and that's not just players, but that's the staff,
• 28:16
  Speaker 1: that's the coaching staff, we lean on each other, then
• 28:19
  Speaker 1: we can get ourselves through this situation. We can get
• 28:21
  Speaker 1: ourselves through anything. And with the news turning better today,
• 28:25
  Speaker 1: it only serves to give them energy going forward. And
• 28:28
  Speaker 1: we've talked about it. You at some point you have
• 28:31
  Speaker 1: to be a professional football player again, and they started
• 28:33
  Speaker 1: that process yesterday with the walkthroughs and the meetings. More
• 28:36
  Speaker 1: of it today and a different vibe today and a
• 28:39
  Speaker 1: different energy as they sort of get ready for that
• 28:41
  Speaker 1: game on Sunday. UM. But this team, the core of
• 28:45
  Speaker 1: this team has been together and the leaders of this
• 28:47
  Speaker 1: team have been through a lot, and just in recent history,
• 28:50
  Speaker 1: not even talking about off the field stuff, but the
• 28:53
  Speaker 1: thirteen seconds, right. I know that's not something that they
• 28:55
  Speaker 1: want to be reminded of, But this part of this
• 28:57
  Speaker 1: team's history and it's allowed them to be strong, and
• 29:00
  Speaker 1: it's allowed them to fight through some things that maybe
• 29:02
  Speaker 1: other teams wouldn't be able to. This is different. This
• 29:04
  Speaker 1: is a on that. But again I feel like strongly
• 29:07
  Speaker 1: about this team's ability to handle such situations. So this
• 29:12
  Speaker 1: Chasing EM's Foundation to mar Hamlin's charity set up a
• 29:15
  Speaker 1: couple of years ago, a go fund made to try
• 29:17
  Speaker 1: to buy some toys for some kids during COVID over
• 29:20
  Speaker 1: the holidays, is now at seven point three million dollars
• 29:26
  Speaker 1: seven point three million, which is just utterly remarkable. UM,
• 29:32
  Speaker 1: also utterly remarkable. Steve White, the press conference that we
• 29:35
  Speaker 1: just saw from the two doctors at the University of
• 29:38
  Speaker 1: Cincinnati Medical Center, I'm checking my notes here. I want
• 29:40
  Speaker 1: to get the quotes right here. Said that the lights
• 29:43
  Speaker 1: are on and he is at home, meaning brain function
• 29:46
  Speaker 1: is there. They're communicating with Tomar Hamlin, who is able
• 29:48
  Speaker 1: to write. He's moving his hands and feet, still on
• 29:50
  Speaker 1: a ventilator. Still a long road to go, but the
• 29:53
  Speaker 1: doctors say the cylinders are firing. And Tomar Hamlin last
• 29:56
  Speaker 1: night was able to write and ask who won the game,
• 30:00
  Speaker 1: which just gave us all chills, and the doctors this
• 30:04
  Speaker 1: response as you even more chills, responded with you've won, Damar,
• 30:09
  Speaker 1: You've won the game of life. Yeah, and they said
• 30:13
  Speaker 1: he was surprised that he had not been with the
• 30:15
  Speaker 1: world so for the last two days. But you know,
• 30:18
  Speaker 1: some of the encouraging news you've heard. He opened his eyes,
• 30:21
  Speaker 1: he's holding the hands of so many different people, not
• 30:23
  Speaker 1: just his family members, he held the hand of some
• 30:25
  Speaker 1: of the surgeons that that worked on him. And the
• 30:28
  Speaker 1: fact that he's writing. The motor skills, you know, the
• 30:31
  Speaker 1: doctor talked about things are coming along in a very
• 30:35
  Speaker 1: good way. Again, a long way to go. They want
• 30:37
  Speaker 1: to see him breathe on his own. A lot of
• 30:39
  Speaker 1: things he still has to get through. But the indications
• 30:42
  Speaker 1: that we got from that news conference, and the biggest
• 30:44
  Speaker 1: indication that they actually had a news conference is that
• 30:48
  Speaker 1: he is on his way to recovery, which is a
• 30:50
  Speaker 1: big relief for just his family, his teammates, and for
• 30:55
  Speaker 1: so many of us who have paid attention had been
• 30:57
  Speaker 1: gripped by what was a tragic incident where he did
• 31:00
  Speaker 1: lose his pulse and was suscitated back to life. And
• 31:03
  Speaker 1: credit to those doctor is the Bill Staff to Bengal
• 31:06
  Speaker 1: Staff on his for helping to marrow Hamlet get to
• 31:10
  Speaker 1: this moment as we celebrate life here, let's celebrate the
• 31:13
  Speaker 1: life of Virginia McCaskey, one of our favorite people who
• 31:16
  Speaker 1: was born on this day in nineteen three. Happy one
• 31:20
  Speaker 1: hundred Virginia McCaskey, the oldest owner of the NFL on
• 31:24
  Speaker 1: a hall really of North American sports here, daughter of
• 31:27
  Speaker 1: the Great Bears founder George hollis one hundred years old
• 31:31
  Speaker 1: to day. Happy birthday, Salute to that, happy birthday, Good
• 31:35
  Speaker 1: news all around McCaskey. NFL Now is a production of
• 31:45
  Speaker 1: the NFL in partnership with I Heart Radio. For more
• 31:48
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• 31:51
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