- Damar Hamlin's uncle told CNN his nephew had to be resuscitated twice, but a family friend later said it was once.
- The Buffalo Bills player had a cardiac arrest during a game versus the Cincinnati Bengals on Monday.
Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin had to be resuscitated after he suffered a cardiac arrest during Monday's game against the Cincinnati Bengals, his uncle Dorrian Glenn told CNN on Tuesday.
Glenn had said that Hamlin had to be resuscitated twice, but a family friend (who said he was speaking on behalf of the family) told NFL Network reporter Cameron Wolfe on Wednesday that it was once.
Glenn told CNN that Hamlin has been sedated to help him recover.
Videos of Monday's game show Hamlin struggling to stand up, then dropping to the ground moments after tackling the Bengals' wide receiver Tee Higgins. Hamlin was given CPR on the field, then transferred to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center.
Glenn said he was watching the game with Hamlin's brother when they saw the player collapse.
"Next thing you know, it's 10 minutes later, they are doing chest compression. It's a half-hour later, they are still not playing, and I'm like, 'Yo, what's going on? What's wrong with my nephew?'" Glenn told CNN.
"I'm not a crier, but, like, I've never cried so hard in my life," Glenn added. "Just to know that my nephew basically died on the field and they brought him back to life."
Hamlin remained in critical condition in the intensive care unit at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center, per a Tuesday statement posted to the Buffalo Bills' Twitter page.
"We are grateful and thankful for the outpouring of support we have received thus far," the team said in its statement.
Football fans were seen gathering at the hospital after the game was postponed to hold a candlelight vigil and pray for Hamlin's health.
The NFL said on Tuesday that the Bills-Bengals game will not resume this week. The match was officially postponed on Monday night. It is unclear when the game will be held.
Meanwhile, a GoFundMe toy drive that Hamlin organized back in 2020 has seen a marked surge in donations, raising $3 million in the six hours after his collapse. The fundraiser has now been rebranded, and those who wish to "contribute to Damar's community initiatives and his current fight" can do so via the same GoFundMe page.
At press time, the page had raised more than $6 million. NFL star Tom Brady contributed about $10,000 to the fund on Tuesday and was one of more than 199,000 people who gave money to Hamlin's page.
A representative for the Buffalo Bills did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment on Hamlin's current condition.
January 4, 2023: This story has been updated to reflect the family friend clarifying that Hamlin was resuscitated once, not twice.