The NFL said Monday night’s suspended game between the Buffalo Bills and the Cincinnati Bengals has been completely canceled after Bills player Dahma Hamlin was hospitalized.
Commissioner Roger Goodell said after speaking with both teams and the NFL Players Association, they decided not to try to finish the game.
“This has been a very difficult week,” Goodell said in a statement. “We continue to follow Damar Hamlin’s recovery and are heartened by his improvement and by the tremendous support and care for Damar and his family across the country. We are also very grateful for the fantastic work done by the medical staff and commend each of them.
Bill and Medical Staff Thursday said Hamlin showed “significant improvement”.
Hamlin was taken to a local hospital and remains in critical condition after collapsing on the field during the first quarter of Monday Night Football’s game and performing CPR on the field.
The league noted that the outcome of the game will not affect which teams make the playoffs, but will need to postpone the playoffs by a week. However, this will affect which teams are likely to host the AFC Championship Game.
So, with major changes to the league’s schedule, Goodell also said the NFL would consider hosting the AFC Championship Game at neutral venues, depending on which teams make it there step.
On Friday, a special league meeting will discuss and vote to approve different scenarios, some of which would see the tournament played at a neutral venue, others can watch in accordance with standard scheduling protocols Contest.
“As we think about the football schedule, our principles are to limit pairings and minimize competitive inequality,” Goodell added. “I recognize that there is no perfect solution. However, the proposals we are asking owners to consider address the most important underlying fairness issues created by making the difficult but necessary decision not to play the game in these exceptional circumstances.”
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