Column: We pray for Damar Hamlin — and then settle back in for more football

Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin was going to recover from the cardiac arrest witnessed by millions of football fans Monday night in Cincinnati, and though we don’ t know how long it will take, at least we were assured by doctors that the worst-case scenario had been avoided. We know that because the conversation also happened over 51 years ago when Detroit Lions...

Remarkable recovery.

When those two words appeared onTV screens and the internet Thursday, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin was going to recover from the cardiac arrest witnessed by millions of football fans Monday night in Cincinnati, and though we don’t know how long it will take, at least we were assured by doctors that the worst-case scenario had been avoided.

By Friday Hamlin was breathing on his own, speaking to family members and even FaceTiming with teammates and coaches. Hamlin on Saturday posted on Ingagram and Twitter, thanking fans for their prayers and support.

“Putting love into the world comes back 3xs as much … thankful for everyone who has reached out and prayed,” he tweeted. “This will make me stronger on the road to recovery, keep praying for me!

A painful week ended with a bit of comfort.

But that singular moment in a football game sparked another conversation about the sport itself, and it’s one that likely will be debated for years to come, especially when something like this occurs again.

We know that because the conversation also happened over 51 years ago when Detroit Lions wide receiver Chuck Hughes died on the field of Tiger Stadium near the end of a game against the Chicago Bears on Oct. 24, 1971.

I remember watching it on TV and the feeling of dread as Hughes laid lifeless on his stomach for several minutes before being carted off on a stretcher. Well after the game ended, WBBM-TV sportscaster Bruce Roberts came on the air with the news that Hughes had died.

That Bears-Lions matchup on a Sunday afternoon didn’t have the hype of the Bills-Bengals “Monday Night Football” affair, but it was highly anticipated in Chicago. Coach Jim Dooley had moved into quarterback Bobby Douglass’ so-called bachelor pad that week to go over the game plan, which led some of the media to dub them the “Odd Couple.”

But the end of a stunning 28-23 upset win by the Bears suddenly became irrelevant as doctors massaged Hughes’ chest and gave him oxygen. A Chicago Daily News report said “at one point his heart began beating again. But he was dead by the time an ambulance could get him underway to a nearby hospital, with his wife, Sharon, at his side.”

There was no celebration afterward.

Bears lineman defensive Ed O’Bradovich asked for a silent prayer in the dressing room before reporters were allowed inside.

“I don’t even want to talk about the game,” O’Bradovich said when the locker room opened. “It doesn’t seem very important now.”

Hughes reportedly became the first NFL player to die of a heart attack on the field and the third after playing in a game. Chicago Cardinals lineman Stan Mauldin died after a game against the Philadelphia Eagles at Comiskey Park in September 1948, collapsing in the clubhouse after earlier complaining of headaches. Washington tackle Dave Sparks died two hours after a game against the Cleveland Browns in December 1954.

Like Hamlin’s collapse, Hughes’ death led to immediate questions about increased violence in the sport and whether it meant the game needed to change.

In an article headlined “Should Something Be Done About Football’s Violence?”, Los Angeles Times syndicated columnist Jim Murray wrote: “I don’t suppose congestive heart failure can be legitimately described as a hazard of football. On the other hand, nobody ever prescribed bumping into Ed O’Bradovich or Dick Butkus for it.

“I can’t imagine a more terrible place to have a heart attack than the 15-yard line of the Chicago Bears.”

Bears stars O’Bradovich and Butkus were two of the league’s biggest hitters. Despite the implication, neither was the cause of Hughes’ heart attack. An autopsy on Hughes noted he died of acute coronary thrombosis, and there was no evidence connecting the heart attack to any physical activity.

It was unfair to mention the two Bears stars, seemingly a way for Murray to embellish his point about the brutality of the sport.

“There is no way this game can fail to brutalize its way out of existence if violence goes unchecked,” Murray continued. “I have long felt this. A game has to be tamed or it will eat itself. Run down the litanies of any injuries any Sunday. The game itself will be a stretcher case. I don’t know quite what should be done to save it, but I know nothing is.

“Maybe zone defense should be outlawed, Maybe downfield blocking, double-teaming. I don’t know what else should be outlawed. But I know Death should.”

Murray was considered one of the great sports writers of his day, and I’m sure his column carried some weight. There are few national writers today with his reputation but many more media outlets for “experts” to bloviate.

Some 51 years later, former linebacker and current ESPN studio analyst Bart Scott indirectly blamed Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins for Hamlin’s injury on what appeared to be a routine tackle, saying Higgins lowered his helmet and “kind of throws his body into his chest.” Scott suggested the NFL would be “a lot more vigilant when it comes to that and using that penalty.”

No one agreed, and Scott was quickly eviscerated on Twitter. Hamlin’s mother reached out to Higgins and let him know she did not blame him.

“Everyone has been making me feel whole again,” Higgins said. “I talked to his mom and everything is OK, he’s doing good, so I’m in a good place right now.”

We live in a world where “debate TV” dominates sports networks. There is so much time to fill, and the more opinionated and louder analysts are, the more likely they are to be invited back.

Like Scott, former Tribune columnist and current Fox Sports personality Skip Bayless also was ravaged on Twitter for immediately questioning how the league would handle rescheduling the Bills-Bengals game, even as Hamlin’s status was unknown. Bad for Bayless, but good for FS1 ratings.

While Hamlin recovers, the debate about whether the sport is too violent marches on, much like it did after Hughes’ death in 1971. Players are much bigger and stronger now, and medical advances have helped experts in the field chronicle the effects of CTE on NFL players for laymen like us, showing us the risks of repeated blows to the head.

No one is unaware of the risks of playing football. The arguments against the sport are valid. But NFL football remains the most popular television show in America, leaving baseball in its dust years ago.

There are honestly no real answers. The game will go on, and we’ll continue to tune in to see great athletes taking these risks on a weekly basis.

We pray for Hamlin and then settle back in our chairs for more football.

Kickoff is at noon.

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