Deferring the opening kickoff is extremely common because it means they receive the second half kickoff, so this happens all the time

The other thing left out of this video was that the hit to the chest was apparently in the perfect spot to stop the heart. It's more common in baseball due to no pads amd the ball being hit so hard

Football is much more than "just another sport." It's a brotherhood and it's a family. Seeing Damar's teammates in that emotional state proves it In that moment, they didn't know what was happening with him. They had no idea if he'd survive. They felt like they lost a brother. Thank goodness he's okay and he's cleared to do what he loves. Also big shout out to Bills Mafia. They're by far the most die hard fanbase of any team in the NFL. They will literally put themselves threw tables for their team.

The Patriots almost always defer. This means they get the ball to start the second half, so if they have momentum going into intermission, hopefully it carries over And by the way, he was medically cleared to play again a few months later and plans to continue doing so. Absolutely unbelievable. He'll win Comeback Player of the Year in a walk

Team trainers and medical staff are life savers. A similar (but even more horrifying) incident happened in the NHL in the late 80s to Clint Malarchuk, who had his carotid artery cut open by a skate and was saved by the team trainer Jim Pizzutelli, who was a combat medic who served in the Vietnam War.

I’ve been a Paramedic for almost 30 years and I have been taught and seen many cases of similar events. When you are struck hard in the chest directly where the heart is it can cause clots and or heart rhythms that cause cardiac arrest. It can be a baseball or other object or someone’s shoulder. In my opinion this is what happened since there is no mention of Doctors finding any heart disease or Damar having any medical problems

So glad to see him back playing after that terrifying experience. But I sometimes think of how his mother must feel. She was there when his heart stopped, and was ushered into the tunnel to get in the ambulance with him. I know she stands with him, and is rooting for him as his biggest fan, but she must also be terrified.

I just saw damar yesterday at the bills practice he’s looking good in practice but man rewatching this definitely gives me the chills and I was at the bills pats game and man when Hines returned those 2 kickoffs for TDS high mark stadium went crazy I’ve had season tickets for years and that game against the pats will definitely be one I’ll never forget from warmups to the end of the game there was just a different vibe in the stadium from fans to players etc

It actually wasn't a heart attack that caused this like they said in the video. It was cardiac arrest, in which the heart just stops beating. There's a big difference between the two

Yes he's playing thank God! Bengal fan here.

You guys paused it right when they said they did CPR on him for 10 mins! I live in Buffalo. My friend and I took off for the day after so we could watch this game and have some drinks. This was the craziest thing I've ever seen in my life of watching the Bills. Also, Hines, who returned that kickoff ball for a touchdown, did it AGAIN that game. Truly amazing. God bless you Hamlin!!!! Go Bills

shout out kabir

I know damar. We played a bit of 7 on 7 against each other. Grew up pretty close. Same age. Had a few friends in common. Glad hes okay. Cant believe hes playing this year.

Good news is he is back at practice and evidently as good as ever.

As a life long Bills fan, I was pleased to see the Bills staff respond quickly! Different ppl I'm sure, but close 20 yrs ago we had a player named Kevin Everett that had a motor spine injury. No one thought he would be able to walk again, first game of the season, the staff was recognized for their actions that day and he's still walking. Buffalo has always had elite trainers and medical staff! Hopefully Hamlin will make the team this yr. It's only been 8 minths

It’s in your best interest to kick off first and receive in the second half. You can potentially group two consecutive offensive positions at the end of the half and at the beginning of the next half.

Demar Hamlin has been participating in full practice with pads and is slated to start in week #1 if I remember correctly

When this happened, it was the biggest topic at my high school. Sometimes even our geachers woukd update us in his condition. So glad he is okay and back playing

One of those games where in the end and in the bigger picture, the only outcome that matters is if DeMar is ok. Watching that unfold the way it did on that Monday night broke me, he's a outstanding dude and am glad he has his health.

Maybe the scariest, but not the worst. Chuck Hughes died on the field in 1971.

He took a direct hit to his heart which stopped the electrical current.. he’s back playing

I will always respect both teams for standing up for what was right and calling the game, the league be damned

It's common to defer the ball. The deferring team gets will get the ball at the 2nd half. The conventional logic behind that is that a lot of offenses usually come out sluggish out of the gate because of the nerves and adrenaline, so you want to give your team's offense a chance to breathe and settle into the game, and you get a chance to set the tone against the opposing team's offense. There's also a lot of bad crappy offenses too (Not the Bengals or the Bills necessarily), so it'd be beneficial to let the inept offense beat itself.

That was a very scary day for sure. There have certainly been others though. I remember watching a game back in 1992 (I think). The Jets Dennis Byrd was rushing the QB and just prior to contact the QB stepped up to avoid him and Byrd ran head first into the chest of a teammate. Byrd went down and was not moving. He had broken his C5 vertebra and was paralyzed. He had a long road back to be able to walk again, which he did. His football career was over however, as you would expect. Other incidents have occurred as well. Always scary when a player goes down like that in any sport. Damar did have contact. He had just made a hit and tackle and collapsed while trying to stand up after that. Brutal game. So many ways to get grieviously injured, but everyone who straps up for it knows the risks. Glad that Damar and Dennis both were able to live ggod lives after and be productive in other ways.

It is psychologically advantageous for a team to receive The ball in the second half. It is good momentum going into halftime. This is why teams almost always elect to let the other team have the ball at the first half so they can get it in the second

Not to make light, but this is only the scariest in recent memory. The real scariest moment took place on October 24th, 1971 at Tiger Stadium when the Detroit Lions faced the Chicago Bears. Mirroring Damar Hamlin's situation, Chuck Hughes, a Lions Wide Receiver was running back to his teams huddle after a blown passing play. Suddenly he collapsed onto the 20 yard line, Hall of Famer Dick Butkus was nearest too him and watched as Hughes began convulsing on the ground and yelled for help. It was too late. Chuck Hughes died at 5:34pm at the age of 28. He died of a Coronary Thrombosis (Heart Attack) caused by a 75% blockage in one of his coronary arteries. Chuck Hughes is the ONLY player to die on the field of an NFL game in history.

you should watch the “scariest moments in the NHL” there are a couple that hit me really hard that are sort of like this story! Keep up the great content guys!!

Definitely a scary day.. I won't forget watching it live. I'm in Buffalo and our fan base, Bills Mafia, does a lot of charitable contributions and the mural in the video is at my work in Larkinville. Buffalo Bills first preseason game is happening now and we're wondering if he'll be going on the field, but he is playing again. The medical teams for the Bills and in Cincinnati were absolutely phenomenal.

Can confirm. It was beyond loud in Paycor that day. Then you could hear a pin drop when Damar went down.

One really cool thing is his incident did bring a lot of light to CPR and lot of people did end up going to CPR classes getting defibulators being trained for the simulators you know and it changed a little bit in the sporting world on what is acceptable equipment to have on hand and what isn't

This bring tears to my eyes, he return to training camp a couple of days ago.

Whoever wins the coin toss has the option to defer to the second half. A LOT of teams do this so they get the ball coming back from half time.

They left out that during the 10 minutes of CPR, players and trainers formed a wall around him so that the cameras wouldn't see him in such a vulnerable condition.

hes playing again already suited up for practice this week and made tackles #BillsMafia

Most coaches prefer to defer, because they receive the ball in the second half. This gives them the possibility of finishing the end of the first half with a score and opening the second half with another score.

Something cool the video totally glosses over is that the NFL had NO interest in stopping the game. That "you have 5 minutes to play" was very serious. The only reason the game stopped is that both the Bills' and Bengals' coaches called the commissioner of the league and basically said "fuck off, we ain't playing." It felt like the only people who didn't get that this was a really, really weird (and probably incredibly bad) injury were, ironically, the guys responsible for running the NFL.

Hamlin's situation wasn't due to an underlying medical condition, it was due to a freak incident involving a direct hit to the chest in just the right way. So the only thing that would hold him back would be recovery, not a condition to contend with.

He's an extremely lucky young man, I wish him nothing but the best.

He's a Pittsburgh boy! Proud he is such a stand up guy with such a strong will to survive!

All NFL teams must have a doctor present at every game. And the closest Level 1Trauma hospital is on standby during every game due to how brutal the games can get

He has been a full participant at training camp and will play this season

Most teams, if they win the coin toss will defer so they get the ball first after halftime. Overtime coin toss is when they won't defer. Damar has been at training camp this year and has been medically cleared to play this season. The Bills first preseason game is tomorrow at 1:00 pm. I'm looking forward to seeing Damar back on the field.

This is different from Fabrice Muamba that had a heart condition and had to have a pacemaker put in. They parmmedics took almost 45 minutes to get his heart restarted and the miracle that he didn't suffer any brain or heart damage. Sadly his football/soccer days were over.

They did CPR on Hamlin ON the field for 8 mins. It's not like the movies. Your ribs get broken and stuff. It's a violent experience. Crazy

Damar just played his first game back few days ago. God is great! I was watching this live and remember thinking wtf.. it was intense but he's blessed and so are we to continue to watch him.

They didn’t talk about why he had cardiac arrest. He was hit hard in the chest. It can happen to anyone.

I'm from Buffalo. He's got full clearance to play.

Demar recently made a great play on the ball in training camp and got in an interception. He’s hopeful to make a comeback. I’m praying for him 🙏🏿

It's strange, but in the NFL, some of the worst injuries have occured on relatively mundane looking plays...

Was at the game, so glad he's okay

Deferring the opening kickoff is a common practice for the New England Patriots and no, the Patriots didn't "let" that happen. The Patriots aren't the same team since Brady, Gronkowski and Edelman left.

Teams often defer the ball until the second half all the time. It's strategy.

CARDIAC ARREST IS NOT A HEART ATTACK… Damar suffered from Comotio Cordis. Sudden cardiac arrest due to blunt force to the chest.

What the narrator didn't mention is Hines returned another kick for a TD later that same game

When you win the coin toss at the beginning of the game you get to choose one the following: Kickoff, receive, defer, or which end of the field you want to defend. Most teams are either going to choose receive or defer, with defer being the better option. If you choose defer it likely plays out like this: You win the toss & defer, The other team chooses to receive You pick which end of the field to defend In the 2nd half you get first choice and pick to receive The other team picks which end of the field to defend. If it works out just right you'll be able to put up 14 points without the other team having a meaningful possession. Score a TD right before the end of the half, receive the 2nd half kickoff, score a TD on that drive. It is possible to receive both the opening kickoff and the 2nd half kickoff, but the other team would have to agree to it. That's very unlikely to happen, though it has happened before. Bengals chose to give the Chargers the ball first in both halves of a playoff game. The Chargers were from a warm place, San Diego, they'd played in Miami the previous week, and the Chargers vs Bengals game was one of the coldest NFL games ever. The Bengals won that game.

Worst NFL injury I've seen is Johnnie Knox literally getting bent in half backwards... Gruesome, and far worse looking then what happened to to Damar Hamlin.

I didn't see this happen until i got of work that night. Got the message from my coworker who was watching at home. By the time i got home and saw the video, i gasped. Never have i seen an NFL player get up and then drop like that. I have seen players get up and wobble due to a possible concussion l, but that was scary. I was also checking different news reports on it and I was furious at some of the comments.

Most people defer the opening kick. So they get momentum into the 3rd when they receive the ball for 2nd half kick off.

I live in Cincinnati, we had some close calls on the field another one was a steelers game

Damar Hamlin HAS BEEN CLEARED for the 53 man roster. OUR BOY IS PLAYING FOOTBALL AGAIN!!

Detroit Lion Chuck Hughes actually died on the field in 1971.

If you defer the opening kickoff you get the kick off when the second half starts - more meaningful to most.

Damar is playing football for his NFL team! Woo Hoo! 🏈

Some teams want the ball first, other's like most teams, want the ball first in the second half. The Bills seem to be one of those teams, and the good ones do this week in and out, score to end the first half and receive the ball and score first in the second half, essentially scoring anywhere between 6-16 points with out the other team even having the ball. It's a strategy thing.

There wasn’t “no contact” he took a hard shoulder to the chest that disrupted his hearts rhythm

Hines actually ran 2 kickoffs back for touchdowns in that game.

Most teams defer the opening kick off. Getting the ball after half is wayyy more important

you gotta also feel bad for the receiver because he pretty much killed him

Deferring the opening kickoff means that team receives the kick to start the second half.

if you defer the first kickoff. you have a chance to score right before the half and get the ball again in the second half, potentially going up 2 scores

It’s more common than not to elect to kick to start the game.

The Fauci ouchie the new Widowmaker

If you havent watched a video about the Ryan Newman 2020 Daytona 500 Crash i think you would find it interesting

Lol whoever wins the coin toss almost always defers so they get to receive the kickoff after halftime

Teams will defer to the other team in the first half because then they get the advantage to open the second half.

I watched this while it was happening. My dad texted me to see the score. And two minutes before it happened. I responded with the score but also said, someone is going to be hurt. It seems like they're trying to hit each other hard. The play previous one of the Bills players went out a Bengals player so hard when he missed him he ate dirt. My dad goes, that's football. I looked up from his text just in time to see Demar go down. Someone was going to get hurt that day. I'm just glad in the end he's okay.

Cleveland Guardians vs Chicago White Sox…Jose Ramirez and Tim Anderson fight

I can't believe i watched this happen live.

Deferring the kick is standard practice...you get the ball in the 2nd half...

Most teams kickoff first so they get the ball to start the second half

I thought for sure that this was going to be about Mike Utley.

They defer kick offs so they can get the ball to start the second half.

7:46 Why? The reason is that means after halftime the Patriots get the "opening kickoff."

Wrexham Wrexham Wrexham.. Is that how you win jersey 😂 I skipped over part the video

Was watching this live when it happened because my family are huge Bills fans. Super fuckin scary. Everyone thought he was gonna die right there on the field. Scary shit

You should react to "Madden 07 - but its the Worst Team, Ever" by Softdrink TV, and the entire 7 part series about that team he built which was the Sarasota (*Sailors*).

No NFL team would just let the other team score on the opening kickoff.

Damar is now preparing for the new season. He has decided to return to playing.

Daz I remember you and the OB's reacting to this. Go back and check out your comments then.

When you defer in the start you received tge ball after halftime so basically the pattiots are saying they trust they're defense as well Patriots always defer no matter what 2nd half is basically almost a new game.

Deferring the kickoff is common.

This was ssoooo hard to see even tho I already knew the outcome....

7:50 The patriots deferring to have the ball because they would get the ball at the start of the second half. My belief is that Bill Belicheck who is NE coach told his kickoff team to “take the play off” that allow BUF to score that kick return. NE have been one of the best if not the best special teams, teams in the NFL for years). Sort of a nod of good faith to the whole Demar Hamlin situation.

In the past they hardly ever deferred

The patriots choose to kick the ball away at the beginning because then they get the ball after half time.

This happened during last season.

A high percentage of teams defer the opening kickoff (after winning the coin toss), instead choosing to receive the ball to start the second half. That opening kickoff touchdown during the Bills game wasn’t a “gimme” play 👍.

Not a sports person but since this happened to a team who's stadium is an hour from my house I had to watch. Just to see if you knew Buffalo before this since you always refer to New York like it's all NYC.

I'm pretty sure the guy at 10:21 is another UK content creator.

I think he's been able to go to training camp, but the extent, not sure.