Bengals coach Zac Taylor on aftermath of Hamlin injury: ‘It’s bigger than football’

Hamlin had to be resuscitated after a cardiac arrest during the first quarter of the Bills’ game against the Bengals on Monday at Paycor Stadium. He remains in critical condition at UC Medical Center, where he was taken after almost 20 minutes of medical attention on the field. Hamlin is still in ICU, but has shown “signs of improvement” since Tuesday, according to a Twitter update from the Bills on Wednesday afternoon.

The game between the Bengals and Bills went from temporarily suspended to postponed Monday night and won’t be resumed this week. Both teams now are trying to turn attention to their scheduled regular-season finales Sunday while keeping Hamlin in mind.

“As our team made it on the field, and you can see the reaction of the players that are out there and how they’re impacted, mostly their guys, a couple of our guys, you could quickly see the seriousness of the nature that it was different than anything we’ve experienced,” Taylor recalled. “And during those moments, all everyone’s hoping for is the best-case scenario with Damar. No one’s processing whether this game is gonna be played or delayed, that’s not going through anyone’s mind. I’ve seen the TV copies now and everybody else was kind of forced to think that way because they’re not down there in the moment, so people get a chance to process what’s going to happen. That never crossed any of our minds. It was just how is this player gonna be okay?”

Taylor said after the ambulance departed the field, the teams just needed a couple of minutes to process the situation. The Bills circled around Bills coach Sean McDermott, and players on the Bengals offense soon started warming up, followed by Buffalo’s defense returning to the field to do the same. Taylor said he never felt any push to resume play, but he recalled officials told him the Bills still needed some time.

At that point, Taylor decided to cross the field and speak directly to McDermott, who made it clear he wasn’t in a mindset to continue the game.

“I won’t disclose any of the private conversations Sean and I had except for this: When I got over there, the first thing he said was, ‘I need to be at the hospital for Damar, and I shouldn’t be coaching this game,’” Taylor said. “So that, to me, provides all the clarity because there was no — unprecedented is the word that gets thrown out a lot about this situation because that’s what it is. But in that moment, he really showed who he was and that all his focus was just on Damar and being there for him, being there for his family at the hospital. And at that point, I think everything trended in the direction it needed to trend and the right decisions were made.”

Taylor credited the officials, as well as McDermott and Bills general manager Brandon Beane, for how they handled the situation to keep Hamlin’s health and the players’ well being at the forefront, and he noted how the swift action and care of all the medical professionals involved led him to believe Hamlin’s outcome would be positive.

Captains from both teams met in the locker room, which was “what both sides needed,” and the support the fans and the community showed in rallying behind Hamlin and the Bills was “unbelievable.”

“It’s bigger than football, obviously,” Taylor said. “It’s taking care of people.”

Taylor also was aware his own players may need taken care of as well. The NFL reminded all 32 teams in a memo they have resources available to them for players that need assistance with mental health concerns, and Taylor said team chaplain Vinny Rey, a former Bengals linebacker, has been available to help players that may be struggling after witnessing such a traumatic event.

Wide receiver Tee Higgins, who Hamlin was tackling when he took the blow to the chest, has communicated that he is doing OK, Taylor said. The Bengals returned to work officially Wednesday with meetings and a walk-through on the schedule, and Taylor said he expected that everyone would be there as planned.

Asked how he would handle the situation if any players express concern about playing Sunday, Taylor said that would be something to address, if it came to that.

The league finally announced the Bengals’ scheduled regular-season finale Sunday against the Ravens will take place at 1 p.m., and Taylor said getting ready to play again is part of the job. He noted the players also understand they play a physical game, where serious injuries can occur.

“You do have to move forward as a team, because we do have a game to play Sunday and we do have to move focus toward that,” Taylor said. “But at the same time, you don’t have to move past the situation that’s happening right now. We can still provide support for the players that need more of that, for their family, who is two miles away here at University Hospital, to the Bills. So you’re able to have space to do that but at the same time as a team move forward to focusing on Baltimore on Sunday.”

SUNDAY’S GAME

Ravens at Bengals, 1 p.m., Ch. 7, 12; 700, 1530, 102.7, 104.7