The NFL world came together following Monday’s traumatic incident, and Troy Aikman on Thursday made his first public comments since the Bills-Cincinnati Bengals broadcast.
Buffalo safety Damar Hamlin suffered a cardiac arrest during Monday’s Bills-Bengals game, which was later postponed by the NFL Players Association. Damar’s father, Mario Hamlin provided an optimistic update Wednesday as the Bills prepare for their Week 18 matchup against the New England Patriots, though there is doubt the AFC East contest plays as scheduled at Highmark Stadium as the status of the team’s Week 17 game remains up in the air.
Aikman and Joe Buck of ESPN were on the call at Paycor Stadium, and the former reiterated what his colleague Booger McFarland echoed during Monday’s broadcast.
“This was unlike anything that anyone of my generation (of NFL players) or generations after me may have experienced or witnessed,” Aikman said on Sportsradio 96.7 FM/1310 The Ticket, per Joey Hayden of The Dallas Morning News.
ESPN analyst Bart Scott and FOX Sports broadcaster Skip Bayless offered their outlandish takes on the Hamlin situation, but the “Monday Night Football” broadcast largely was praised for how they handled the situation as it was happening.
Cameras kept a wide view of Paycor Stadium as Bills and Bengals players gathered around Hamlin while first responders administered CPR.
“There was a lot of moving parts, that’s for sure. As you can imagine, it’s a sports broadcast that turned into a news broadcast,” Aikman said. “I’m sure you guys are familiar that (Robert) Iger … returned to run the company of Disney just a couple of months ago. And he showed tremendous leadership. Right from the start. He was actually in New Zealand. I’ve not yet met Bob Iger, but he was in the middle of it from New Zealand as to how we were going to proceed and handle it. I heard from him after we came off the air. So that meant a lot.”
Buck, Aikman and the studio panelists remained on the air before the game was postponed, and the NFL Hall of Famer credited his broadcast partner for his composure throughout.
“I will say this, Joe Buck was — as you guys know, I’ve worked with him for 21 years, and I’ve been with him in some of the greatest moments in sports and I’ve seen him at his best. And he’s unbelievable, but I think this was his finest moment,” Aikman said.
“I think he handled everything better than anyone could have. Any broadcaster — I don’t care if it’s sports or news or whatever it might be — I thought he was really, really good at what he was doing and broadcasting to America what was taking place, and doing it in a way that he wasn’t speculating or sensationalizing in any way, not an easy thing to do.”
On the decision to resume playing or not, Aikman added: “Even that night, knowing the significance of the game that was being played, I didn’t see how they could fit the game in. I never thought they were gonna be able to play the game that night. And then do they come back tomorrow night? I didn’t see that as a viable option, as well. And then if you don’t get it in by Tuesday, well, now you can’t get it in before Week 18. And then how do you squeeze it in? I don’t see how they can play the game.”
The former Cowboys quarterback also praised the medical staff for their swift response. The Bills offered an encouraging update on Hamlin on Thursday.
