Burgundy & Gold Reaction: Week 17 Takeaways & Damar Hamlin

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January 4, 2023

by David Earl

Prayers for Damar Hamlin

As fans, we tend to get so caught up in the moment of the game, especially in frustration and disgust, that we never consider the dangers of the game itself. While the hit on Monday Night Football that caused Damar Hamlin to collapse seemed innocent by NFL football standards, the aftermath was all but surreal. For this second-year player who already had a prior injury that caused him to miss time, his NFL career is in jeopardy, but that is now unimportant, as Damar’s life now lies in the balance. As of writing this column the latest verified information comes from a statement from the Buffalo Bills: “Damar Hamlin suffered a cardiac arrest following a hit in our game versus the Bengals. His heartbeat was restored on the field and he was transferred to the UC Medical Center for further testing and treatment,” the Bills said in a statement. “He is currently sedated and listed in critical condition.”

Remember some things are bigger than football – a young man’s life is more important than a playoff seeding or some fantasy football championship (YES I AM SPEAKING TO THE HEARTLESS IGNORANT SOULS COMPLAINING ABOUT FANTASY FOOTBALL!), so it was perplexing when the NFL initially wanted to just delay the game for 5 minutes. I get that injuries are a part of the game but such injuries as Mike Utley (1991), Reggie Brown (1997 who also needed CPR), Kevin Everett (2007), and Ryan Shazier (2017) plus many others not mentioned have not only ended many young careers in the NFL but drastically altered each one’s livelihood. It also wasn’t until this column I was reminded of the CPR given to Reggie Brown yet the game was still carried out to completion. That explains the NFL’s initial reaction to delaying the game, as the precedent was already set in many ways but the severity of Damar’s injury ultimately forced the league to make the right decision in suspending the game.

As far as Damar Hamlin, the person, he has done exceptional community work, particularly at such a young age. He posted this video not long ago speaking about his gofundme for his toy charity drive, which has now soared to over $5 million in donations in honor of his post-injury. This is such a great outpouring of support that I am sure he’d completely approve and find it heartfelt. This is the reaction of people who understand football is just a game and the life of this young man supersedes any sport. This is a sentiment not everyone seemed to have as the outcome of this game appeared more important at the moment than the injury that occurred on the field.

To the Skip Bayless-types of the world whose first reaction was the importance of this game for the playoffs, you cannot be any more deplorable right now. The message may be valid in many ways, but the timing is horrible as no one cares about some playoff seeding with this young man’s life in the balance. This is not the first time Skip has used his platform to speak ignorance and over sensationalize a situation for his gain, but this one is just a new low for Skip. Anyone in their right mind, especially considering what Damar’s family is going through at that moment, should have had the sense not to make such a heartless statement. Personally, taking Skip’s history into account, I think people like him should never have such a platform to speak when they cannot put their own professional gain aside and just take the time to hope for the best. Maybe I am alone here and maybe I am over-sensationalizing this from people like Skip but sometimes the health and well-being of someone should take a little more precedence above all else. Speak later about the game and the ramifications of any decisions being made.

Washington Commanders Season Ends

I started this off about Damar Hamlin and everything else just seems insignificant to talk about but there was a game to cover. The season is effectively over. From Wentz having a poor game to Ron Rivera not realizing a Packers win eliminates them from postseason play, Sunday was just a dreadful game all around. The team played with no energy or drive. Both the play calling and execution of the game plan by Carson Wentz was poor. The disappointment of the end of year 3 under this current regime has the fans ready to move forward having this team’s staff blown up. The hope is that potential new ownership comes in and cleans house, including Ron and his staff, but will that happen during a change in ownership? The idea that a new owner could be in place timely enough to bring in new staff could be wishful thinking. That all depends on the new owner’s direction but the availability of any potentially qualified GM and/or head coach on the market would certainly determine this direction.

If you take into account the time it takes for a new owner’s bid to be accepted, the purchase to be finalized and then approved by the league, plus the reorganizing of the team’s football and business operations, and many other steps I am unfamiliar with, you are looking at a long arduous process. Since you typically want the football staff in place prior to the NFL Combine in March that leaves just over a month, and that seems nearly impossible. Is that impossible? Well, the sale of the Carolina Panthers offers some hope for fans as David Tepper signed an agreement to purchase the Panthers in early May and the league approved the sale on May 22nd at their league meetings. While there’s been no allegation of sexual misconduct as was the case against Jerry Richardson, one can assume the league wants to move on to any potential deal that will remove Dan Snyder as quickly as possible. While Damar Hamlin rightfully dominates the news cycle, Washington eliminated from postseason play and potential new ownership has the fan base on the edge, although frustrations are soothed over somewhat with some hope of Dan finally gone. The next few weeks will be full of rumors and reports that won’t do anything but build more anxiety in this fan base.