CINCINNATI — “Bigger than football” and best wishes for Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin and his family were themes of the first public comments from Cincinnati Bengals Head Coach Zac Taylor since the postponement of Monday night’s game between the two teams.
>>UPDATE: NFL finalizes game time for Sunday’s Ravens-Bengals matchup
Taylor addressed the media Wednesday from the team’s facility at Paycor Stadium, addressing and describing the events from the Bengals sideline and locker room after Hamlin collapsed from a cardiac arrest during the first quarter.
Hamlin was resuscitated by medics and taken to University of Cincinnati Medical Center where he remains Wednesday. A team spokesperson said there were “signs of improvement” but Hamlin remains in the intensive care unit and is in critical condition.
Taylor started his news conference by first wishing the best for Hamlin and his family and also thanked the medical personnel that worked to save Hamlin’s life.
“For me personally being down there, and seeing the composure that everyone had, obviously not knowing how the situation would unfold, I was led to believe that it was going to be positive because of how they handled it,” Taylor said.
>> Damar Hamlin: NFL will not resume postponed Bills-Bengals game this week
“(The medical staff) gave Damar the best chance.”
Taylor said from his perspective on the field, he was able to see clearly that Hamlin’s injury was no ordinary issue, unlike other times where opposing players suffer injuries.
>>Photos: Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin collapses, receives CPR on field
“You could see the reaction of the players that were out there and how they were impacted, mostly their guys and a couple of our guys, you could quickly see the seriousness of the nature that it was different that anything we’ve experienced. And during those moments all anyone is hoping for is the best case for Damar. No one is processing whether this game will be played or delayed, that’s not going through anyone’s mind,” Taylor said.
Taylor said when the ambulance taking Hamlin to the hospital started leaving the field provided the first moments for him and the two teams to start thinking about how, or if they should, resume the game that night.
After the ambulance left, Taylor said he gathered with the officials and Bills coach Sean McDermott where all parties decided to take time to process the moment.
“I looked at Sean and those players all they were doing was looking at their teammate and brother and hoping for the best there. That’s the only thing going through their minds.”
Taylor acknowledged he had multiple private conversations between the first meeting of the coaches on the field and back near the Bills locker room, however he only detailed the first conversation when McDermott said he needed to go to the hospital.
“When I got over (to the Bills sideline) the first thing (McDermott) said was ‘I need to be at the hospital with Damar. I shouldn’t be coaching this game,’” Taylor said.
“That to me provides all the clarity. Unprecedented is the word that gets thrown out a lot about this situation because that’s what it is. But in that moment, (McDermott) really showed who he was because all his focus was just on Damar and being there for him, being there for his family at the hospital.”
Taylor said the players, coaches, league came to the “solution we needed to get to” by postponing the game.
Taylor was hesitant to allow the Bengals captains to speak to the Bills locker room after the teams cleared the field, however he said he saw the importance of allowing the players to talk to each other.
“Our captains came down the hallway, they told me they wanted to speak to their captains for the Bills. And at the moment, I wasn’t sure how to take that information, I wasn’t sure what the right thing to do was. I told that to Sean and (he) went and got his captains.”
“When you saw both those groups of players interacting you immediately knew that was the right decision. I think both sides needed that. So for them to come together...you could tell that was something both locker rooms needed,” Taylor said.
>>PHOTOS: Community holds vigil outside hospital for Damar Hamlin
The focus of the team since Tuesday has been a combination of providing support for individuals, but also moving along together as a team, Taylor said.
“You do have to move forward as a team, because we do have a game to play Sunday, we do have to move focus towards that. But at the same time you don’t have to move past the situation that’s happening right now. And we can still provide support for the players that need more of that.”
Taylor noted the team is supporting their own players who are dealing with difficulties brought on by the incident, including Tee Higgins and Tyler Boyd. Higgins was involved in the play before Hamlin collapsed, while Boyd played with Hamlin in college at the University of Pittsburgh.
“Tee has handled it well. My communication with him is that he’s doing fine,” Taylor said.
Taylor said the one player on his team he spoke to while medics were working to save Hamlin’s life was Boyd, who Taylor noted had the Pitt connection.
“The Pitt connection hit me. I think that was the only conversation I think I had the entire time I was out there. ‘(Do) you know him?’ ‘Yeah, that’s my guy.’”
Taylor was asked about some of the uncertainty surrounding Sunday’s game against Baltimore, when, at the time of Taylor’s comments, the league had not decided on what time the game will take place. Taylor said the team “has to move forward” and they need to let the people making decisions make them.
After Taylor’s media availability, the NFL announced Sunday’s game will start at 1 p.m., and the game will air on WHIO-TV.
Before Monday’s postponement, the timing of Sunday’s game was dependent on the outcome of Monday’s game, with the Ravens-Bengals game either starting at 1 p.m. or 4:25 p.m.
Outside of saying Monday night’s game would not be resumed this week, a league spokesperson last said no determinations have been made about if the game will be restarted at a later date.