Before boarding Air Force One and returning to the White House from northern Kentucky on Jan. 4, President Joe Biden told reporters he spoke “at length” with the parents of Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin.
During ESPN’s broadcast of Monday Night Football, Hamlin tackled Cincinnati Bengals receiver Tee Higgins after Higgins caught a pass from quarterback Joe Burrow.
Hamlin briefly rose to his feet and then collapsed.
Medical personnel rushed to the field and administered CPR for 10 minutes before restoring his heartbeat and transporting him to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center, where he remains in critical condition.
The Bills released a statement on Jan. 5 saying that Hamlin is “critically ill” but has “demonstrated that he appears to be neurologically intact.”
Hamlin’s teammate, Kaiir Elam, posted on Twitter moments before the Bills update that “Our boy is doing better, awake and showing signs of improvement.”
Since Hamlin’s on-field cardiac arrest, discussions about the safety of professional football have been widespread.
As he prepared to board Air Force One, Biden was asked if he thinks the NFL is getting too dangerous.
“No. Look, the idea that you’re going to have ... look, you got guys that are 6’8”, 340 pounds running a 4.8 40,” Biden said. “I mean, you know, you hit somebody with that kind of force ... now, that’s not what happened here.
“But I just think it’s a ... I don’t know how you avoid it,” Biden continued. “I don’t. I think working like hell on the helmets and the concussion protocols—that all makes a lot of sense. But it’s, you know, it is dangerous. You got to just acknowledge it.”
On Jan. 3, the day after Hamlin’s incident, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre released a statement saying, “We hope his condition and his health improves quickly, and like the rest of the nation, our thoughts and prayers are with him, his family, and his teammates.”
Biden was in Covington, Kentucky, on Jan. 4 and delivered an address praising the bi-partisan cooperation that led to the passage of his $1 trillion infrastructure bill in late 2021.
Joined by a contingent that included Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), the president discussed the benefits of doling out more than $1.63 billion in federal grants to Ohio and Kentucky to improve the Brent Spence Bridge, which carries vehicles along Interstate 71 and Interstate 75 over the Ohio River, and construct a companion bridge to help alleviate traffic on the existing structure.
Along with answering questions about Damar Hamlin and safety issues related to professional football, Biden was asked about the House’s continued struggle to elect a speaker.
“It’s embarrassing for the country. I mean, literally,” Biden said. “It’s just the reality is that, you know, to have a Congress that can’t function is just embarrassing. We’re the greatest nation in the world. How can that be?”
The president was also asked about his rare public appearance with McConnell.
“Look, I’ve had a relationship with Mitch McConnell for years. And when, in the Obama administration, they weren’t going to pay the debt, you know, McConnell and I stayed up, as you remember, on New Year’s Eve night until late at night to finish it,” Biden said. “We’ve always been able to work together.”
