As most of the US knows this morning, last night at the 6 minute mark of the first quarter, Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin collapsed on the field after a seemingly routine tackle of Bengal receiver Tee Higgins. This, unfortunately, is not an uncommon sight. American football is a sport that demands collisions between some of the strongest and fastest athletes on the planet. Viewers have become inured to the knee injuries, broken bones, and concussions that result.

This was something different.

It became obvious as his defensive teammates screamed for help and huddled up around Hamlin to block the view of the omnipresent and intrusive TV cameras. As the entire team took the field together and as a group, all knelt in prayer. Many faces of grown men streaked with tears, hugging each other and crying. You began to wonder, is he dying? Is that even possible?

Yes. Yes it was.

We found out as time passed that the view the players were blocking was of Hamlin receiving defibrillation and CPR - indicating absence of a pulse and inability to breathe on his own. Reports later confirmed he went into cardiac arrest. The medical personnel restored his heartbeat on the field but he was unable to breathe without intubation as he was loaded onto and ambulance and rushed to the University of Cincinnati Trauma Center. As of this morning, he remains in critical but stable condition.

All NFL players are well aware they are always just one hit away from a possibly career ending injury. We think of Daryl Stingley and Ryan Shazier lying paralyzed on the field. Ryan Clark, who was providing ESPN commentary after the incident, suffered a ruptured spleen on the field when he was playing. Just a few weeks ago we saw Tua Tagovailoa convulsing on this same Cincinnati field from a hit that caused a concussion. But this is another step beyond career threatening or ending. One hit can end your life.

There was some talk last night of eventually resuming the game. Thankfully, wiser heads prevailed and the game was cancelled. I suspect the players and coaches told the league there was no fucking way they were going back out on the field, but no one will ever confirm that. The fact that it took an hour to announce the decision was in itself a disgrace.

As always, social media provided a glimpse into both the best and worst of humanity as all this was transpiring. The number of assholes who were upset at how the cancellation would impact their final fantasy football results was a disgrace. Even worse were the trolls who jumped on this as an opportunity to advance their anti-vax agenda. Rot in hell all of you.

On the flip side, within a few minutes of the collapse his former coaches and teammates from the University of Pittsburgh began posting about Damar's work with local charities, sharing a link to a toy drive he was running on GoFundMe. As the game started, it was seeking a $2,500 goal.

As of right now, it has collected $4,299,720. Link shared below.

Personally, my emotions are all over the map. As a parent and grandparent, I I had tears on my face watching this in real time. Especially from the realization that his mom was in the stands watching this happening. I love football, I've been a passionate NY Giant fan since I was a child, which is a very long time. But this morning I can state clearly that I hope this game is never resumed. It is unimportant. Let it stay as is as a tribute to the life of a young man who was living his dream and may never step on a field again.