Damar Hamlin’s cardiac arrest is described by Bills teammate Dion Dawkins

Buffalo Bills left tackle Dion Dawkins has spoken about his experience witnessing teammate Damar Hamlin’s on-field cardiac arrest on Jan. 2 and explained why the near-tragedy gave him a newfound respect for coach Sean McDermott.

‘McDermott stepped up,’ Dawkins wrote in a piece of the Players Tribune aimed at fans of the team, known as the Bills Mafia. He took charge of the team and said we wouldn’t play, period. He said that no matter what the result is, we are not playing. And it may not sound like a lot, but it is a lot. Because at that moment, that’s permission to be a person. Not a player, a person. Trust me, there is a difference.

It was unclear at the time if play would resume moments after Hamlin collapsed on the turf at Paycor Stadium in Cincinnati earlier this month. Since then, he has made remarkable strides, transitioning from the University of Cincinnati Medical Center to a Buffalo-area hospital before being released this week.

There have been reports that the NFL wanted play to resume after a five-minute warmup, claims the league denies, while ESPN’s Joe Buck insists that’s what he was told.

But in the nervous moments while they were resuscitating him, no one cared about the game. As Dawkins explained, both teams “merged together,” while Bengals fans went from “we hate you” to “we’re praying for you.”

“As soon as it became what it became with Damar, nobody cared about that other shit anymore,” Dawkins wrote. ‘Our coach and his coach got together. Our players and their players mixed. And not even just mixed. Brother, we were crying together. Like ugly tears crying.

‘It’s hard to explain if you haven’t played football… but to go from where the atmosphere was in that game, just insanely hostile, to where we were seconds later with those guys? That doesn’t happen. Their fans also yell at them.

One of Dawkins’ most haunting memories was the sound of the crowd, something he’s become capable of interpreting after six NFL seasons.

‘[I] know the exact sound that a stadium makes after a player is injured,’ he said. “And probably the trickiest thing is if you add a visual element, I’ll even know what the injury is, just by how someone is laying on the field.” For example, he is moving his feet, or he is moving his arms, or his fingers are doing something, or he is lying this way, his stomach, his back, etc.

‘All those movements and things remind me of injuries I’ve seen before. But I’ll be real: I’ve never seen a player go down the way D-Ham went down. None of us had. We kept hearing, ‘He’s not breathing. He is not breathing. He is not breathing.

Fortunately, Hamlin was saved by Bills medical staff, who performed CPR and rushed him to the hospital, where he has since made a dramatic recovery.

Dawkins also talked about his 24-year-old teammate, describing Hamlin as a humble young player who strives to improve.

“He’s one of those guys that’s easy to love,” Dawkins wrote.

Many young people believe that they are born with the answers. Damar, however, is an apprentice in every way. Both on and off the field, he is someone who is trying to get better in life.”

Dawkins wrapped up by discussing the Bills’ upcoming playoff run, which begins Sunday against the visiting Miami Dolphins in Orchard Park, New York.

The Bills and their fans are hoping it will be the first of a four-game streak that concludes with the team’s first Super Bowl victory.

And if it isn’t, Dawkins knows he’ll be fine, too, because Hamlin’s near tragedy proves “it’s just football.”

‘Do you know what I’m saying?’ she asked her. It’s ONLY football!! And we’re better than these other teams at it, so let’s take down four of them and then have a parade.’