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Stefon Diggs discusses immediate aftermath of Damar Hamlin incident
Buffalo Bills wide receiver Stefon Diggs. Gregory Fisher-USA TODAY Sports

Stefon Diggs discusses immediate aftermath of Damar Hamlin incident

Buffalo Bills wide receiver Stefon Diggs has opened up about rallying teammates to possibly return to action shortly after Damar Hamlin went into cardiac arrest.

"Guys crying and in that moment, I couldn’t do anything but other than — if I know Damar Hamlin personally, which I do like a little bro — get your guys ready to go," Diggs explained during the latest edition of Uninterrupted's "The Shop," as shared by Jenna Lemoncelli of the New York Post. "Rally your guys behind him because if you didn’t have something to play for, you got something to play for now." 

Shortly after Hamlin was transported to the hospital following his medical emergency during the "Monday Night Football" game at the Cincinnati Bengals, ESPN announcer Joe Buck reported on the air that the contest would eventually resume. That never happened, as the matchup was ultimately suspended, postponed and later canceled. 

Diggs admitted during "The Shop" that he was torn about potentially restarting the game that Monday night. He also suggested that he and his teammates could've honored Hamlin by remaining on the field. 

"But in that moment, if we had to go back out there, I know Damar would’ve wanted us to play…because when he came to finally his first words were, 'Did we win?'" Diggs continued. "I was a little iffy. I was like 'Damn, am I messed up for wanting to get guys to play?' Obviously, some guys couldn’t. But then when he woke up and said 'Did we win,' it was reassuring that I know he has a winning spirit. I knew my little bro would’ve wanted me to go bump with them, not go and leave." 

As Lemoncelli wrote in a piece published on Jan. 3, Diggs went to the hospital not long after the game was scrapped to check in on Hamlin. It was later reported that Diggs and some players stayed in Cincinnati while others flew home that night. 

Diggs is right about Hamlin's commitment to winning games at the highest level. Hamlin said last month he'd like to play in the NFL again, but his status as an active participant is understandably unknown just a couple of months after he nearly lost his life. 

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