Damar Hamlin's father hits back at critics blaming Tee Higgins for his son's cardiac arrest

On Monday night, the NFL world was shocked when Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin collapsed on the field during the first quarter of a game against the Cincinnati Bengals. The University of Pittsburgh's second-year safety had made what appeared to be a routine tackle on Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins. He appeared to stand up and then immediately fell back to the ground. This is now being reported as a cardiac arrest.

Yesterday, criticism of Higgins flooded social media and the airwaves, with many, including Bart Scott, blaming him for Hamlin's cardiac arrest.

On Wednesday morning, ESPN's Coley Harvey, who has been covering Hamlin's situation since Monday night, said that Hamlin's father Mario wants others to stop blaming Tee Higgins.

Harvey said that Hamlin's father said that the criticism against the young wide receiver needs to stop.

Trending: Damar Hamlin’s father told @ColeyHarvey that the criticism people are giving Tee Higgins needs to stop

The Buffalo Bills' safety marketing representative and family spokesperson Jordon Rooney also reiterated those thoughts on Tuesday. Rooney stated to Spectrum News 1's Rachel Hopmayer that Higgins is not to blame for the medical emergency. He clarified that the family is upset that Higgins is being held responsible for a freak accident that could have happened to anyone at any time.

"They were mad. They were frustrated. If you think you’re supporting Damar by bashing Tee, you’re not supporting Damar. …They don’t agree with anything that’s being said. It was a freak football accident that could have happened with anyone at any time. Tee has reached out. He has went above and beyond. All signs point to him being a great human being who genuinely cares and feels bad. The family feels bad that Tee would have any guilt towards this situation.”-Jordon Rooney

The family has also said that they feel that fans who are criticizing Tee Higgins aren't supporting Damar.

Donations to Damar Hamlin's toy drive exceed $6 million

Shortly after Monday night's game between the Bills and Bengals was suspended, NFL fans across the country were looking to hear any news regarding Damar Hamlin's condition. A GoFundMe page that he started in 2020 when he was still playing at the University of Pittsburgh surfaced. He had created the page when he began a toy drive to benefit children at a daycare in the Pittsburgh area that he attended when he was a small child. The initial goal was just $2,500 to help the children that holiday season.

As the link to the page circulated around social media, donations began flooding in. In less than 48 hours, there has been over $6 million in donations to his toy drive. NFL fans and some of the biggest names in football including Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady, New England Patriots team owner Robert Kraft, New Orleans Saints quarterback Andy Dalton, Russell, and Ciara Wilson, and many more have all donated as well.

In December 2020, Damar Hamlin created a GoFundMe for a toy drive in his community so children affected by the pandemic would still receive Christmas gifts.

With an original goal of $2,500, it has now surpassed $6 million since his injury on Monday.

🔗 boardroom.tv/damar-hamlin-t… https://t.co/2E5RJZWTnh

The donations will now not only support the toy drive as well as other community projects that he has worked on but will also contribute to his recovery.