“Yesterday, really, for the first time in all week, the NFL community was collectively able to exhale a little bit, maybe smile a little bit, as it looks like millions of prayers around the world have been answered,” said Mr. Levy said before the game. “Damar Hamlin is turning a positive corner and making progress, on the road to a full recovery, we all hope.”
Dan Orlovsky, the analyst standing next to Mr. Levy, continued on the feel-good theme, saying that Mr. Hamlin “not only brought out the best in the NFL, he brought out the best in humanity.”
The game coverage mirrored ESPN’s 75-minute pregame show.
“You can see us all smiling,” host Sam Ponder said, opening the show with a panel of football analysts gathered around her in a New York studio. “We didn’t know if we could do this show like this earlier this week. A collective sigh of relief after holding our breath for days.”
Mrs. Ponder continued in that spirit, saying, “A week that began with much darkness ends with so much light, so much hope and gratitude for answered prayers.”
Rex Ryan, the former New York Jets and Buffalo Bills head coach and current ESPN analyst, started to cry when he remembered that Mr. Hamlin had asked doctors – with pen and paper – whether the Bills had won the game on Monday. The competition was initially suspended and later cancelled.
“He’s a great legend,” Mr. Ryan said, his voice trembling. “Thank you. I needed it — as a father, as a coach, and as a fan of this game.”
“We find a lot of silver linings,” Mrs. Ponder said.
Steve Young, the former player and current analyst, was one of the few to point out that Mr Hamlin’s collapse also underlined the game’s violent nature, calling the incident “a referendum on the game”.
