Bengals radio announcer reflects on calling Damar Hamlin incident
Cincinnati Bengals radio play-by-play broadcaster Dan Hoard has opened up about witnessing Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin suffer cardiac arrest on Monday night.
"It was terrifying for anybody who was there," Hoard told Michael Grant of Awful Announcing. "I’ve been behind the mic for some gruesome injuries but I’ve never seen anything like that. I certainly never anticipated seeing a player receive CPR on the field. So like anybody in attendance that night or watching on television, it was a frightening, difficult-to-watch situation that all of us hope never to see again."
Medical personnel ultimately restored Hamlin's heartbeat, and both the Bills and Buffalo cornerback Kaiir Elam provided positive updates regarding the 24-year-old's status on Thursday morning.
Earlier this week, ESPN's Scott Van Pelt explained he didn't interview a medical expert on "SportsCenter" shortly after Hamlin experienced his medical emergency because the host "didn’t want to be speculating" on the player's condition. Hoard embraced a similar approach on Monday evening.
"My color commentator Dave Lapham played professionally for 12 years and he’s been a Bengals broadcaster for more than 30," Hoard said. "So, he provided some great perspective on what it’s like as a player when one of your brothers goes down or when a player on the other team goes down."
Hamlin's Buffalo teammates continue to deal with a uniquely-emotional situation as they prepare to eventually resume normal day-to-day football activities, but those inside the Cincinnati locker room were also understandably impacted by what they saw at Paycor Stadium.
"They are still grappling with their emotions, trying to support each other," Hoard told Grant about Bengals players. "I think they appreciate the outpouring of support they have received from fans in Cincinnati and fans worldwide. But it’s not like they are past dealing with the emotions of Monday night."
The NFL confirmed on Wednesday that the 11-4 Bengals will host the 10-6 Baltimore Ravens this Sunday for a Week 18 encounter that could help determine the winner of the AFC North division title. Monday's Cincinnati-Buffalo matchup was postponed, and the Bengals will automatically claim the division crown if the Week 17 game is scrapped ahead of the playoffs
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