Buffalo Bills players can’t wait to “love” Hamlin after the health update

Demar Hamlin had his breathing tube removed overnight and was able to speak with his family, doctors and teammates, the Buffalo Bills said Friday morning.

“He continues to make significant progress in his recovery,” the team said in a tweetAdding that his neurological function was intact.

Hamlin was speaking via video chat Friday with teammates and the coaches, as they met in preparation for Sunday’s game against the New England Patriots.

What he said to the team: “I love you guys” Billing said.

Hamlin doctors at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center said Thursday that although Hamlin has shown progress, it is still too early to say whether he will be able to fully recover.

On Thursday, Buffalo coach Sean McDermott told reporters how Mario Hamlin, father of Bills safety Damar Hamlin, addressed the entire Buffalo Bills team in a video conference the day before from Cincinnati. Mario Hamelin and his wife, Nina, were at their bedside in the hospital with their son, but they wanted to get a message across to the team.

Mario said Damar wants to play for the team.

Both McDermott and quarterback Josh Allen said at a press conference Thursday afternoon that the message — combined with Dammar Hamlin’s condition improved As he continues to be treated after suffering a cardiac arrest in Monday’s game – this was the raise for the Bills needed to encourage them to focus on their jobs, even as they continued to pray and worry about their teammate and friend.

and Hamlin, 24, collapsed After making what appears to be a routine tackle to Bengals receiver Tee Higgins during a game broadcast on “Monday Night Football” on ESPN.

What followed was a harrowing 10 minutes as doctors attended him on the field and performed CPR, while Bills players knelt in a circle around him. On the sidelines, players cried and hugged. The announcers, shock also evident in their voices, attempted to recount the scene where Hamlin was eventually put into an ambulance and taken to hospital.

The game was suspended, after McDermott consulted with that team, officials, and Bengals head coach Zack Taylor. The league announced this Thursday evening The game will not be completed.

During the video conference Wednesday, McDermott said Mario Hamlin’s message encouraged the Bills.

“The team needs to focus on the goals they set for themselves, which Damar wanted to do that way,” McDermott recounted. “And that includes our game against New England this week.”

Allen and McDermott answered media questions for about 40 minutes, describing the terrifying scene and their efforts this week to process their feelings and prepare for a Sunday home football game against the New England Patriots that the coach and players approved. It seemed insignificant compared to what happened to Hameln.

“The scene plays out in your head over and over,” Allen said. “It’s hard to describe what I felt, how my teammates felt at the moment.”

But to find out Hamlin was writing letters and holding hands with loved ones just three days after he came close to losing his life on the court, Allen said, “There’s nothing you could tell us to get through the day after that.”

Allen said he and his bandmates were looking forward to reuniting with Hamlin so they could “love him”.

McDermott, who has Make players mental health A priority of his coaching style, he said after the Bills’ return from Cincinnati were impromptu team meetings and counselors available to players and staff.

“Mental health is real,” McDermott said. “The health and well-being of your team and players is the coach’s number one job in this situation.”

Allen said he invited all his teammates over to his house this week, and those who joined him prayed and spent time together to decompress and talk about Hamlin.

Dean Jackson, who also played with Hamlin at the University of Pittsburgh, said the two men shared a special bond. Jackson said that before every match, he and Hamlin would usually find each other on the sidelines, hugging and saying to each other, “I love you.”

It was a tradition Jackson thought a lot about after suffering a gruesome neck injury during Week 2 of this season. He said that as he was being loaded into an ambulance, one voice stood out among all of his teammates. It was Hamlin.

“He said, ‘I love you de Jacques,’” Jackson said. “He is looking forward to being reunited with his friend, so he can pass on the same message.”