Sunday’s game between the Buffalo Bills and the New York Giants took a scary turn in the second quarter when Bills running back Damien Harris suffered a neck injury.
The collision between Harris, 26, and Giants shortstop Bobby Okereke happened just before halftime at Highmark Stadium in Buffalo, New York.
Concerned fans watched as the Bills medical staff quickly treated the runner as he remained on the field after the hit. After a few minutes, Haris was put on a stretcher and taken off the field in an ambulance.
Before the ambulance left the field, Harris managed to give the crowd a thumbs up.
Scans at the hospital later showed the player had full range of motion in his body, according to The Associated Press. “From what I understand, he has full mobility,” Bills coach Sean McDermott said after Sunday’s game.
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“Fortunately it seems to be going in the right direction, given the reports we’re getting. I’m very grateful to God for that,” added McDermott, AP reports.
Harris’ injury reminded Bills players and fans of the terrifying scene from Jan. 2, when Buffalo safety Damar Hamlin went into cardiac arrest during a game against the Cincinnati Bengals.
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Bryan M. Bennett/Getty
“Especially after last year, whenever an ambulance has to go on the field, it brings on PTSD,” Bills tight end Dion Dawkins said after Sunday’s game, according to The Athletic .
Dawkins, 29, said: “It’s hard. It’s really hard, man. I hate to say it this way, but before every game in this league starts, you just have to hug your loved ones a little tighter. You really never know.”
According to ESPN, Dawkins added, “It’s a really emotional thing, and people try to act like we’re subhuman like … those things are real,” adding that Harris is like a “brother” to his teammates.
“He’s a friend of ours, we know him personally. Seeing him lying there…he only found out two days ago that he’s having a boy. They said it was a neck injury. Imagine not being able to hold his son from a play? It’s scary, man. Scary. And I take it for what it is, and with all due respect to God, but like any time, that could be it,” Dawkins continued, according to the release.
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Bills running back Josh Allen spoke about Harris’ injury on Sunday, telling ESPN: “You never want to see that. It’s an ugly part of the game.”
Allen, 27, added: “He’s been so great, Damien, coming here, and I know he’s only been here a few months, obviously this training camp, but the juice that he brings and the hard-nosed running that this offense brings, you can’t really replace him, you know? And I hope he’s okay … I’m praying for him, him and his family,” according to ESPN.
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Josh Allen #17 of the Buffalo Bills and teammates react to an injury sustained by Damar Hamlin #3 during the first quarter of an NFL football game against the Cincinnati Bengals. Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images
After Hamlin, 25, was hospitalized after suffering cardiac arrest on Jan. 2, it was reported that several of his teammates remained in Cincinnati after the incident to visit with hospital security. According to an ESPN reporter Cole Harveywide receiver Stefon Diggs, along with several other players and head coach Zac Taylor, visited Hamlin at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center after the game.
During the Bills’ first game after Hamlin suffered a heart attack, the team honored the safety by wearing “Love for Damar 3” T-shirts as well as helmets emblazoned with the No. 3, by Hamlin’s number. Their jerseys also had a number stitched on the front.
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During NFL today before the game, several fans were shown holding signs supporting Hamlin. The opening minutes of the show were devoted exclusively to Hamlin’s recovery.
“We don’t play for the name on the back [of our jersey]we’re playing for the number in the front row,” Bills quarterback Josh Allen told the team before they took the field. Hamlin tweeted to his “brothers” on the day of the game, urging the public to “tell someone you love them today.”
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