Ohh man this was supposed to be an all time classic and probably the biggest MNF telecast in the ESPN era of the show. Thankful that Damar is still alive.

As a Bengals fan, I'm still in disbelief that all of this fanfare would eventually led to one of the darkest and most horrific moments in the history of sports on television. I don't think I was paying attention when Damar's cardiac arrest happened, but in any case, watching a crowd of 65,000+ fans turn from roaring in support of their team into funereal silence at the sight of a man on the brink of death still scared the absolute shit out of me. To say I was speechless would have been an insulting understatement. I wanted to cry, but didn't have the capacity. Additionally, there was a small, vocal and toxic group online outright blaming Tee Higgins for his near-death experience, in similar vain to Sterling Marlin's crash that killed Dale Sr. in the 2001 Daytona 500. That especially pissed me off, because while Tee had hit him in that sensitive spot in the heart, he had no ill intent; in fact, he made a good block to try and get a first down. The fact Damar's life was saved by those doctors at the University of Cincinnati, however, was incredibly heartwarming and bittersweet. Hell, I even gained a bit of respect for Joe Buck that night because of how he and the ESPN team handled this situation. Again, this was still one of the most upsetting moments in sports broadcasting history (along with the aforementioned 2001 Daytona 500, and the Hillsborough disaster, wherein 96 soccer/footy fans were killed in a crowd crush during an FA Cup semifinal match).

We finally get the redo game in buffalo on Sunday

DH3