Buffalo Bills player Damar Hamlin is awake after his cardiac arrest that shocked the world
'Our boy is doing better, awake and showing more signs of improvement. Thank you God.'

Damar Hamlin is reportedly making good progress after his traumatic on-field injury.
In a recent game against the Cincinnati Bengals, Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin went into cardiac arrest on the field after making a tackle. The game was only about 10 minutes into the first quarter when Hamlin collapsed and a flurry of medical personnel rushed to revive him.
His medical emergency immediately raised questions and put renewed focus on the safety of football as a sport and the degree to which professional sports places profits over the health and safety of the players who make the game what it is.
Hamlin was immediately transported to nearby University of Cincinnati Medical Center and the game was postponed indefinitely while the NFL focuses on Hamlin's recovery and what caused the incident. He was placed into a medically induced coma but has since woken up. According to Yahoo Sports, Hamlin is alert, responsive and asking questions, though he's still on a ventilator.
One of the first things he inquired about was who won the game, and while he can't speak, he has been communicating through writing. Doctors are hopeful as “it appears that his neurological condition and function is intact,” according to Dr. Timothy Pritts, division chief of general surgery and vice chair for clinical operations at UC Health, speaking at a UC Health Medical Center press conference.
Hamlin continues to be in critical condition in the ICU, but the news of him being alert has his NFL colleagues and their families cheering for his continued recovery. Patriots player Jonnu Smith tweeted, "Thank God for improvement just as much as we asked him for healing. If not more." Sarah Taylor, the wife of Cincinnati Bengals head coach Zac Taylor, has organized for schools across Cincinnati to send get-well cards to Hamlin.
Even President Biden tweeted words of support, writing, “Great news. Damar, like I told your mom and dad yesterday, Jill and I – along with all of America – are praying for you and your family.” The entire nation is rooting for Hamlin to make a full recovery. And to show their support, fans have been flooding his fundraisers with money.
Hamlin's The Chasing M's Foundation was formed in 2020 right before he was drafted into the NFL as a sixth round pick in 2021. It was started as his way to give back to his community, according to the foundation's GoFundMe, where Hamlin wrote, "As I embark on my journey to the NFL, I will never forget where I come from and I am committed to using my platform to positively impact the community that raised me."
The GoFundMe was set up for the foundation's very first toy drive, but after Hamlin's on-field cardiac arrest, fans have donated millions. Currently, the fundraiser sits at $7.5 million and it continues to climb. Hamlin's father Mario is the executive director of The Chasing M's Foundation and he is asking for people who would like to help to donate to first responders and the University of Cincinnati Medical Center's trauma center. He has also been encouraging people to buy lunch for their local first responders and trauma center staff.
The Chasing M's Foundation has a website where donations can be made to aid Hamlin in giving back to his hometown of McKees Rocks, Pennsylvania. While Hamlin continues to recover, his teammates headed to practice after hearing the good news. We certainly hope his progress continues and he recovers quickly.
If you would like to contribute to The Chasing M's Foundation's community toy drive GoFundMe, click here.
If you would would like to contribute to The Chasing M's Foundation directly, you can click here.
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Resurfaced video of French skier's groin incident has people giving the announcer a gold medal
"The boys took a beating on that one."
Downhill skiing is a sport rife with injuries, but not usually this kind.
A good commentator can make all the difference when watching sports, even when an event goes smoothly. But it's when something goes wrong that great announcers rise to the top. There's no better example of a great announcer in a surprise moment than when French skier Yannick Bertrand took a gate to the groin in a 2007 super-G race.
Competitive skiers fly down runs at incredible speeds, often exceeding 60 mph. Hitting something hard at that speed would definitely hurt, but hitting something hard with a particularly sensitive part of your body would be excruciating. So when Bertrand slammed right into a gate family-jewels-first, his high-pitched scream was unsurprising. What was surprising was the perfect commentary that immediately followed.
This is a clip you really just have to see and hear to fully appreciate:
- YouTube youtu.be
It's unclear who the announcer is, even after multiple Google inquiries, which is unfortunate because that gentleman deserves a medal. The commentary gets better with each repeated viewing, with highlights like:
"The gate the groin for Yannick Bertrand, and you could hear it. And if you're a man, you could feel it."
"Oh, the Frenchman. Oh-ho, monsieurrrrrr."
"The boys took a beating on that one."
"That guy needs a hug."
"Those are the moments that change your life if you're a man, I tell you what."
"When you crash through a gate, when you do it at high rate of speed, it's gonna hurt and it's going to leave a mark in most cases. And in this particular case, not the area where you want to leave a mark."
Imagine watching a man take a hit to the privates at 60 mph and having to make impromptu commentary straddling the line between professionalism and acknowledging the universal reality of what just happened. There are certain things you can't say on network television that you might feel compelled to say. There's a visceral element to this scenario that could easily be taken too far in the commentary, and the inherent humor element could be seen as insensitive and offensive if not handled just right.
The announcer nailed it. 10/10. No notes.
The clip frequently resurfaces during the Winter Olympic Games, though the incident didn't happen during an Olympic event. Yannick Bertrand was competing at the FIS World Cup super-G race in Kvitfjell, Norway in 2007, when the unfortunate accident occurred. Bertrand had competed at the Turin Olympics the year before, however, coming in 24th in the downhill and super-G events.
As painful as the gate to the groin clearly as, Bertrand did not appear to suffer any damage that kept him from the sport. In fact, he continued competing in international downhill and super-G races until 2014.
According to a 2018 study, Alpine skiing is a notoriously dangerous sport with a reported injury rate of 36.7 per 100 World Cup athletes per season. Of course, it's the knees and not the coin purse that are the most common casualty of ski racing, which we saw clearly in U.S. skier Lindsey Vonn's harrowing experiences at the 2026 Olympics. Vonn was competing with a torn ACL and ended up being helicoptered off of the mountain after an ugly crash that did additional damage to her legs, requiring multiple surgeries (though what caused the crash was reportedly unrelated to her ACL tear). Still, she says she has no regrets.
As Bertrand's return to the slopes shows, the risk of injury doesn't stop those who live for the thrill of victory, even when the agony of defeat hits them right in the rocks.