Zac Taylor praises Bills HC Sean McDermott's leadership following Damar Hamlin's on-field collapse
Cincinnati Bengals head coach Zac Taylor spoke to the media on Wednesday for the very first time since Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin collapsed on the field on Monday night. Taylor was able to give a first-hand account of what happened in the minutes following Hamlin's life-threatening on-field collapse, and sent Bills head coach Sean McDermott a lot of love and praise for how he handled the situation.
To start the news conference, Taylor sent love, prayers, and support to Hamlin, his family, teammates, coaches, and the entire Bills organization on behalf of the Bengals family.
Zac Taylor opened Wednesday's press conference with a message of support for Damar Hamlin ❤💙 pic.twitter.com/9XWg4X5TgM
— FOX19 NOW (@FOX19) January 4, 2023
"We've always had a great deal of respect for them," Taylor said. "I think that's grown much deeper, obviously, with what we've seen transpire."
"So certainly we're pulling for Damar," Taylor continued. "Hoping for the most positive outlook, and looking forward to him seeing all the support he's getting from his team, his community, people around the league, his family. It'll be a great day when he'll be able to see that."
Taylor praises McDermott
Taylor spent several minutes discussing what went on after Hamlin, who had gone into cardiac arrest after taking a hit square to the chest, was revived and taken off the field in an ambulance. He and McDermott were able to meet very soon after the ambulance drove away, and McDermott's first words to him weren't about the game. They were about being with Hamlin.
"The first thing Sean McDermott said was, I need to be at the hospital with Damar.. And I shouldn't be coaching this game.." - Zac Taylor pic.twitter.com/sjXR4Z5nO0
— WINCINNATI (@WINCINNATI_) January 4, 2023
Taylor credited McDermott for setting the tone for how everything was handled after that moment. McDermott's focus on Hamlin and his family allowed every other decision to be made with that perspective in mind.
More Zac Taylor: “I really felt Sean McDermott led in that moment. He was there for his players. He processed it the right way, which was incredibly difficult, and really helped us get to the solution we needed to get to.”
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) January 4, 2023
Taylor also cleared up the kerfuffle regarding whether the NFL was urging for anything to happen — like the game restarting — directly after the ambulance left the field.
Taylor said there was no push for anything to happen. The teams just needed a couple minutes to process and that's when he went and spoke with McDermott and it was decided to send the teams to their locker rooms. #Bengals #Bills
— Laurel Pfahler (@LaurelPfahler) January 4, 2023
Inside look at what happened on Monday, #Bengals head coach Zac Taylor says that #Bills coach Sean McDermott told him: "I need to be at the hospital with Damar. I shouldn't be coaching this game."
🙏🙏 pic.twitter.com/MPUGE8Z9Ng— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) January 4, 2023
That answer will hopefully end the ongoing debate about who was right and who was wrong in an unprecedented, scary and stressful situation in which everyone involved could only do what they thought was right.
Taylor credits team captains, medical personnel, officials
McDermott was far from the only person to be praised by Taylor. He thanked all the medical personnel on the field for their vital actions in literally saving Hamlin's life.
Zac Taylor thanks the medical professionals, the trainers and doctors on both sides, the emergency response team and more.
"They were on it. They were composed. It was a complicated situation everyone was trying to process."
"Seeing the composure... they were prepared."— Charlie Goldsmith (@CharlieG__) January 4, 2023
#Bengals coach Zac Taylor lauds the medical and athletic training staffs for their quick, efficient work Monday night: “They were prepared. They gave Damar the best chance. I was really impressed and thankful for the work they put in to be ready for moments like that.”
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) January 4, 2023
Zac Taylor, on Damar Hamlin's status base: "I was led to believe it was going to be positive because of how they handled (on the field)."
— Ben Baby (@Ben_Baby) January 4, 2023
He thanked the officials for understanding the gravity and context of the moment and "stepping back" to allow the players and coaches to process what was happening.
Zac Taylor points out the officials did a tremendous job.
"Everyone on the field could feel the seriuosness of the situation. They did a great job of stepping back."#Bengals @fox19— Jeremy Rauch (@FOX19Jeremy) January 4, 2023
He revealed his team captains came to him to say they wanted to go visit with the Bills captains. It wasn't something Taylor was sure about at first, but he trusted them and it ended up being the right thing to do.
Zac Taylor said he was hesitant to have the Bengals captains visit the Bills captains. He conferred with Sean McDermott before they visited with each other.
Taylor: "When you saw both those group of players interacting, you immediately knew that was the right decision."— Ben Baby (@Ben_Baby) January 4, 2023
Taylor: Bengals captains met Taylor in the hallway. Said wanted to speak to Bills captains. Wasn’t sure at first, but when those captains met could tell was something both teams needed.
So much respect for Bills captains.— Paul Dehner Jr. (@pauldehnerjr) January 4, 2023
Hamlin remains in critical condition and in intensive care at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center.