The NFL is still considering various options following the suspension of the Bills-Bengals game, including possibly eliminating the bye week before the Super Bowl. The Bills-Patriots game set for Sunday and the rest of the Week 18 games remain on schedule. The pivotal Bills-Bengals game was suspended Monday night after Buffalo safety Damar Hamlin went into cardiac arrest while making a tackle in the first quarter. A marketing representative for his family says Hamlin’s recovery is moving in “a positive direction” two days after the 24-year-old player had to be resuscitated on the field. NFL executive Jeff Miller said there has been no decision on whether to resume the Bills-Bengals game at a later date. A decision will be made in the coming days.
NFL players and coaches are rallying to support Damar Hamlin, two days after the Buffalo Bills safety's heart stopped and he needed to be resuscitated during a game at Cincinnati. Colts safety Rodney Thomas made the two-hour drive from Indianapolis to Cincinnati to provide his sedated friend words of encouragement. Vikings defensive tackle and former Bills teammate Harrison Phillips arranged to have dinner delivered to the hospital. Hamlin's marketing representative Jordan Rooney told The Associated Press the player's recovery is moving in “a positive direction.” The Bills say Hamlin is still in critical condition but has shown signs of improvement.
The Buffalo Bills have been a reliable bright spot for a city that has been shaken by a racist mass shooting and back-to-back snowstorms in recent months. So when Bills safety Damar Hamlin was critically hurt in a game Monday, the city quickly looked for ways to support the team. Supporters have been donating to Hamlin’s Pennsylvania charity and several gathered to pray together outside the Bills stadium in Orchard Park Tuesday. Officials say Buffalo City Hall and Niagara Falls will be illuminated in Bills’ blue. Hamlin remains hospitalized in critical condition after going into cardiac arrest after a tackle.
It was a horrific scene. A young athlete just getting started on a promising NFL career, popping up from a rather innocuous-looking tackle — and then slumping back to the turf. Just like that, fighting for his life. Naturally, when a traumatic event happens like the one that stopped Damar Hamlin’s heart, we're roused to ponder the value of sport. Especially a violent sport such as football. But anyone who suggests this is a precarious moment for America’s No. 1 pastime, that somehow we’ve crossed a Rubicon leading to its slow, inevitable downfall, simply hasn’t been paying attention.
The NFL is moving forward with the Week 18 schedule during a difficult, emotional week. While coaches, players, fans and the sports community are focused on Bills safety Damar Hamlin’s health, the final weekend of the regular season kicks off Saturday with the Kansas City Chiefs visiting the Las Vegas Raiders. The Chiefs took over the AFC’s No. 1 seed when the Bills-Bengals game was suspended in the first quarter after Hamlin went into cardiac arrest and needed to be resuscitated on the field. It’s uncertain whether the Bills-Bengals game will be resumed or canceled so the Chiefs need a win to maintain that top spot.
Misinformation about the safety of COVID-19 vaccines has flared up once again, this time following the on-field collapse of Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin during a game Monday. Even before Hamlin was carried off the field, social media posts claimed without evidence that his medical emergency was caused by a COVID-19 inoculation. Prominent anti-vaccine groups and right-leaning figures like Tucker Carlson claimed Hamlin's cardiac arrest is connected to a number of athletes who have died after receiving the shot. Physicians interviewed by the AP, however, said it's wrong to blame vaccines for Hamlin's injury and that there's been no increase in cardiac arrests among vaccinated athletes.
Joe Thomas, Darrelle Revis and Dwight Freeney are finalists in their first year of eligibility for the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s class of 2023. The 15 modern-day players who will be considered later this month by the selection committee include returning finalists DeMarcus Ware, Patrick Willis, Zach Thomas and Andre Johnson. Six other returning finalists were announced with Jared Allen, Willie Anderson, Ronde Barber, Devin Hester, Torry Holt and Reggie Wayne getting back to this stage. Defensive backs Albert Lewis and Darren Woodson made it to this stage for the first time after previously being eliminated in the semifinal stage.
NBA
DeMar DeRozan and Patrick Williams each scored 22 points, and the Chicago Bulls stopped Brooklyn’s 12-game win streak with a 121-112 victory over Kevin Durant and the Nets. Durant scored 44 points, but Chicago had six players score in double figures. Nikola Vucevic had 21 points and 13 rebounds, and Ayo Dosunmo finished with 17 points. The Bulls had dropped two in a row. Durant rested at the beginning of the fourth quarter and Chicago put together an 8-0 run. Dosunmu stole a pass at midcourt and went in for the jam for a 106-95 lead with 6:46 left.
Jalen Brunson scored a career-high 38 points, Julius Randle had 25 points and 13 rebounds, and the New York Knicks beat the San Antonio Spurs 117-114. Brunson added seven rebounds and six assists for the Knicks, who won their third straight since a 122-115 loss in San Antonio last Thursday. Brunson missed that game during a three-game absence with a sore right hip, but returned with 24 points in a victory over Phoenix on Monday and made the big plays late in this one.
De’Anthony Melton hit a go-ahead 3-pointer late in overtime and James Harden scored 26 points to help a Philadelphia 76ers team playing without Joel Embiid beat the Indiana Pacers 129-126. Melton put the Sixers ahead 125-124 with 2:16 left in OT. He finished with 19 points. Montrezl Harrell followed with a rim-rattling dunk, and the Sixers held on for their 11th straight home win. Harrell also had 19 points on 8-for-9 shooting. Embiid, who had been playing with a sore lower back, sat out with a sore left foot.
NHL
Vitek Vanecek made 32 saves and blanked Detroit for 58 minutes as the New Jersey Devils downed the Red Wings 5-1. Dougie Hamilton, Nico Hischier, Alexander Holtz and Jack Hughes each had a goal and an assist. Michael McLeod also scored for New Jersey. The Devils, who are 14-2-1 on the road, won the season series 2-1. Lucas Raymond scored on a late power play to prevent a shutout. Red Wings goalie Villo Husso stopped 21 shots.
MLB
AP source: Red Sox, Devers agree to 11-year, $331M deal
Rafael Devers has agreed to an 11-year contract worth $331 million to stay with the Boston Red Sox. That's according to a person with knowledge of the agreement who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the team had not announced the deal. Locking up Devers was an important move for the Red Sox and their uneasy fans after All-Star shortstop Xander Bogaerts, slugger J.D. Martinez and pitcher Nathan Eovaldi departed in free agency. The 26-year-old third baseman is a two-time All-Star. The deal was reached one day after Devers agreed to a one-year, $17.5 million contract to avoid arbitration.
U.S. SOCCER
The U.S. soccer team has been plunged into public turmoil because the family of former U.S. captain Claudio Reyna family says it was the one to notify the U.S. Soccer Federation of a decades-old incident involving Gregg Berhalter and his wife. The family says it took action in response to the coach’s disparagement of young star Gio Reyna, Claudio's son. Berhalter said Tuesday that his 1991 behavior in which he kicked the woman who would become his wife was “shameful.” Anthony Hudson will coach the team ahead of exhibitions against Serbia on Jan. 25 and Colombia three days later.
ALBANY PATROONS
“Mr. Patroon” is coming back to Albany. After Will Brown stepped down as head coach last month, the Albany Patroons say Derrick Rowland is returning as head coach for the 2023 season that starts in March. Rowland has played for and coached the Albany Patroons dating back to their 1982 inception. A star player who led the Patroons to two titles, Rowland will begin his third stint as head coach for the team that plays in The Basketball League. Rowland spent last season coaching in Oklahoma. Brown, the former longtime University at Albany men’s basketball coach, stepped down after bringing the Patroons to the championship series last year to refocus on college basketball.
