ESPN NFL analyst Bart Scott received heavy criticism for his comments about Bills safety Damar Hamlin, who remains in critical condition after suffering cardiac arrest on the field during “Monday Night Football.”
Hamlin collapsed on the field at Paycor Stadium in Cincinnati after he stood up following a routine, legal tackle on Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins in the first quarter of the Week 17 matchup.
While discussing the play and NFL rules during a Tuesday appearance on ESPN’s “First Take,” Scott explained that Higgins lowered his helmet, causing Hamlin’s chest to be exposed during the hit. His comments did not go over well on Twitter, with some people accusing him of blaming Higgins for the tragic incident.
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“The NFL has tried to take the head out of the game,” Scott said. “We almost don’t think of the violent hits — we always associate that with the defensive players in targeting and lowering their head.
“But they did put in the rule maybe five years ago, that offensive players can’t use the crown of their head, helmet as a weapon, which is kind of what Tee Higgins did and I’m not trying to put the blame on Tee Higgins, but that’s something that they tried to take out. … They never make that call.”
That’s when “First Take” host, Stephen A. Smith chimed in and asked Scott to further explain what happened during the play, while noting that it was unintentional by Higgins.
“Right before the tackle, he lowers his helmet and he kind of throws his body into his chest,” Scott said. “He’s standing up because he’s thinking he got to chase Tee Higgins at an angle to make a tackle so he didn’t expect Tee Higgins to launch his body back into him.
“It’s one of those things, a lot of times you see it as a linebacker … a running back comes through the hole and he knows the contact is coming so he lowers his helmet and you can’t get underneath him so he’s able to get into you and your chest is exposed. They have taken that out of the game but they don’t really regulate it as much as possible. I expect the league will be a lot more vigilant when it comes to that and using that penalty.”
ESPN NFL front office insider Mike Tannenbaum, who also appeared on the show, added, “There are certain things that you just can’t take out of the game. That was a routine play, it was clean, it was legal — obviously tragic what happened.”
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As of Tuesday, there has been no medical confirmation that the hit caused Hamlin to go into cardiac arrest.
Higgins tweeted his support for Hamlin early Tuesday morning, writing, “My prayers and thoughts go out to @HamlinIsland the Hamlin Family. I’m praying that you pull through bro. Love.”
The Bills-Bengals game was postponed after Hamlin collapsed on the field in the first quarter. On Tuesday, the NFL announced that the game will not resume this week.
“The NFL has made no decision regarding the possible resumption of the game at a later date,” the NFL said in a statement. “The league has not made any changes to the Week 18 regular season schedule. We will continue to provide additional information as it becomes available.”
After Hamlin collapsed, an ambulance pulled onto the field, where medical personnel administered CPR on the 24-year-old. His heartbeat was restored on the field before he was transferred to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center for further testing and treatment, the Bills said.
On Tuesday, the Bills tweeted: “Hamlin spent last night in the intensive care unit and remains there today in critical condition at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center. We are grateful and thankful for the outpouring of support we have received so far.”
Hamlin’s family released a statement Tuesday, thanking those for their support and prayers, including first responders and healthcare professionals.
Jordon Rooney, the CEO of sports marketing agency Jaster Athletes who is Hamlin’s marketing representative and friend, provided an update during a Tuesday appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show.”
“They’re still doing a lot of tests,” Rooney said. “… Hour by hour, day by day, just seeing how he recovers. That’s why we haven’t officially posted anything yet.”
Scott, a former Pro Bowl linebacker, played in the NFL for 11 seasons. He spent seven seasons with the Ravens after they signed him as an undrafted free agent in 2002 — and finished his career with the Jets.
This article was originally published at the New York Post and was republished with permission.
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