As New England Patriots cornerback Isaiah Bolden lay on the sphere with a severe damage, his teammates couldn’t keep away from interested by Damar Hamlin.
New England’s preseason sport with the Inexperienced Bay Packers was referred to as off on Saturday night time after Bolden was carted off the sphere early within the fourth quarter.
The incident got here greater than seven months after Hamlin – a Buffalo Payments security – went into cardiac arrest and was resuscitated on the sphere in opposition to the Cincinnati Bengals.
“After all that’s behind all of our minds when one thing like that occurs,” Patriots cornerback Jalen Mills mentioned.
Bolden was handled in a single day at a Inexperienced Bay hospital and launched on Sunday morning.
“We thank the medical workers at Aurora Bay Medical Middle for his or her in a single day evaluations, in addition to the Patriots and Packers medical staffs for his or her speedy on-field response and care in transporting Isaiah,” the Patriots mentioned in a press release on Sunday morning.
Bolden, a seventh-round decide from Jackson State, appeared to collide with teammate Calvin Munson when he was injured.
“It appears to be like like simply a type of collision hits, these freak hits that you simply see on uncommon events on this league, that you simply hate to see,” Mills mentioned. “We actually couldn’t see him an excessive amount of. It seemed like he was transferring and his eyes have been open, however as of proper now, simply asking all people to maintain him of their prayers and we hope for the very best.”
As medical officers handled Bolden, each groups left their respective sidelines, with some gamers getting on one knee.
After Bolden was carted off the sphere, the 2 groups conferred and determined to not proceed the sport. The sport stopped with the Patriots main 21-17 with 10:29 left within the fourth quarter.
“It’s a reminder of the fragility of life,” Patriots particular groups participant Matthew Slater mentioned. “It’s not one thing we spend quite a lot of time interested by, however the actuality is all of us should wrestle with that sooner or later in time, each one who’s ever walked the face of this Earth. I believe it’s unlucky that it occurs on this context and this setting as a result of that is meant to be a joyful, celebratory expertise.”
Gamers from each groups mentioned they have been reminded of Hamlin’s damage.
“It introduced out that Damar feeling, and that’s simply scary,” Patriots broad receiver Kendrick Bourne mentioned.
Hamlin’s coronary heart stopped on account of commotio cordis, which is when a direct blow at a selected level in a heartbeat causes cardiac arrest.
Hamlin has since returned to the Payments and performed in his hometown of Pittsburgh earlier within the day and had three tackles in a loss to the Steelers.
Given the similarities, each groups agreed there was no level in persevering with the sport.
“This isn’t the AFC championship,” Slater mentioned. “We’re not taking part in for information. It’s preseason sport two. When you may have an damage like that, it impacts quite a lot of guys in quite a lot of alternative ways. Clearly our workforce was shaken by what occurred.”
