Former NFL player and DailyExpertNews reporter Coy Wire was shocked after the Buffalo Bills’ Damar Hamlin collapsed during Monday night’s game against the Cincinnati Bengals.
“There appeared to have been no direct blow to the head or neck area. His head didn’t even look like it was pushed that much. So I can’t assume what kind of injury this could be,” Wire told DailyExpertNews’s Anderson Cooper on Monday.
Hamlin fell onto his back on the field moments after getting up on an open field tackle from Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins.
Wire, who played nine seasons in the NFL and currently serves as a DailyExpertNews sports anchor, said the collapse was shocking.
“Never seen a reaction from such a hit,” he said.
Wire, visibly emotional, noted that condolences should be extended to Hamlin’s family and loved ones.
“I’m trying to keep my cool for you because I think it’s important that we pray, think of Damar, think of his family,” Wire told Cooper.
Wire also praised the NFL’s move to suspend the game following Hamlin’s collapse.
“I’m so proud that the NFL suspended the game because I think maybe a decade ago that wouldn’t have happened,” he said. “The importance placed on player safety these days stopped the game. I think that is progress.”