After Damar Hamlin‘s injury during Monday Night Football last night, many NFL fans were questioning the motives of the league offices, especially considering that players began warming up shortly after Hamlin’s injury.
For just a few moments, it appeared that the league was going to make the players get back on the field, even though they didn’t know Hamlin’s status.
It appears that the NFL has come out with a statement on this issue in the wake of this controversy.
As for the 5-minute warmup that was discussed during the broadcast, NFL executive Troy Vincent says, "I'm not sure where that came from. … That's insensitive." Says the only focus was on the players and making sure they were OK.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 3, 2023
Many fans were calling for members of the NFL’s front office to lose their jobs after making the players warm up.
Whether it’s for damage control, or if it is truly genuine, Vincent’s comments above state that he was unsure who instructed these five minutes.
The NFL is a multi-billion dollar industry.
Fans questioned the motives of the league during this time, as it appeared, at least on the surface, that they cared more about money and air-time than the health and safety of one of their players.
Luckily, members of the Buffalo Bills and Cincinnati Bengals rallied together during this time, and the game was ultimately suspended.
There are potential playoff-seeding implications of this game, but at the moment, none of that matters, especially to the players.
All they care about at the moment is their teammate, their brother, and their friend.
Hamlin holds a special place in each one of their hearts, and it would not have been just for the players to continue last night’s game.
NEXT: The Bills Share The Latest On Damar Hamlin