While many NFL teams focused their energy on injured Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin this week, there was also support for Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins.
Higgins had been part of a seemingly normal football collision with Hamlin that became incredibly serious when the 24-year-old fell to the turf. Hamlin suffered a cardiac arrest on the field and needed immediate CPR performed on him to restore his heartbeat.
Higgins wasn’t hurt physically on the play, but the impact it could have on his psyche was of major concern. Bengals coach Zac Taylor said Wednesday that Higgins was processing the situation and handling things “well.”
Higgins confirmed that Thursday when he spoke to reporters for the first time since the harrowing incident happened.
“I’m in a good place right now,” Higgins told reporters per video from Joe Danneman of Fox19 in Cincinnati.
The third-year pro also recalled the details of the play from his vantage point, noting how quickly everything escalated, and how he wasn’t in the right mindset to play again after witnessing everything unfold.
“At first, me being a football player, I’m thinking he just flopped, one of our guys bumped him,” Higgins said. “I looked and seen him fall. But I looked again and I seen what happened so I just turned my head, try not to think about it because I knew it was something crazy, something tragic.
“Man, it was hard. Obviously, wasn’t in a good place to play the rest of that game, so I’m kind of glad we chose not to play.”
In the aftermath, Higgins showed his character and contacted the Hamlin family “multiple times,” according to Jordan Rooney, a friend and marketing representative for Hamlin.
It’s clear Hamlin’s family holds no ill will toward Higgins as the Bengals wideout shared that Hamlin’s mother had him on her mind as well.
“Just telling me she’s thinking of me, praying for me and things like that,” Higgins said. “She’s telling me that he’s OK and just all the good, positive stuff.”
Bills quarterback Josh Allen, who spoke with reporters for the first time since the incident Thursday, made a point as well to express support for Higgins, especially after Bart Scott took a reckless shot at Higgins for his involvement in the collision.
“I hope he got some relief today,” Allen told reporters, per Sports Illustrated’s Bert Breer. “I saw some stuff on Twitter. … There’s nothing else he could’ve done in that situation.”
Positive updates on Hamlin’s critical condition have trickled in throughout the week. The most encouraging news came Thursday with the Bills announcing that Hamlin “appears to be neurologically intact,” with later reports indicating he’s able to communicate non-verbally at the moment.
Those are tremendous signs that Hamlin is a much better place than what was feared, and it has uplifted not only his teammates, but Higgins as well.
“It feels good,” Higgins said. “Knowing that he’s OK, he’s doing better, it makes me feel better inside.”
