President Joe Biden. Cincinnati Enquirer-USA TODAY NETWORK

President Biden addresses dangers of football after Damar Hamlin incident

By Zac Wassink | Last updated 1/4/23

President Joe Biden was asked Wednesday if Monday's incident involving Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin shows professional football is becoming too dangerous.

"No," Biden responded, per Joe Morgan of Fox News. "Look, the idea that you're going to have… You got guys that are 6'8, 340 pounds running a 4.8 [seconds] 40 [yard dash]. I mean, you know, you hit somebody with that kind of force… Now, that's not what happened here.

"I don't know how you avoid it. I think working like hell on the helmets and the concussion protocols, that all makes a lot of sense. But it's, you know, it is dangerous. We've got to just acknowledge it."

Hamlin suffered cardiac arrest after making a tackle during Monday's prime-time game at the Cincinnati Bengals and was administered CPR on the field until his heartbeat was restored. The Bills confirmed earlier on Wednesday he remains in the intensive care unit at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center:

Damar remains in the ICU in critical condition with signs of improvement noted yesterday and overnight.

He is expected to remain under intensive care as his health care team continues to monitor and treat him.
— Buffalo Bills (@BuffaloBills) January 4, 2023

Additionally, Biden said that he has spoken with Hamlin's parents this week. The exact details of that conversation weren't clear as of Wednesday afternoon:

President Biden tells reporters that he spoke to the parents of Buffalo Bills player Damar Hamlin "at length." He didn't elaborate further on the conversation.
— Abby D. Phillip (@abbydphillip) January 4, 2023

Monday's Bills-Bengals encounter was postponed shortly after Hamlin's medical emergency, and the league hasn't yet announced if the teams will complete the game ahead of the playoffs. As Darren Hartwell mentioned for NBC Sports Boston, the Week 18 matchup between the Bills and New England Patriots could also be postponed to a later date if it's determined Buffalo players and coaches aren't ready to resume normal football-related activities so soon after Hamlin's collapse.

8-8 New England controls its fate regarding the conference's final wild-card playoff berth due to tiebreaker advantages over the 8-8 Miami Dolphins and 8-8 Pittsburgh Steelers.

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