Will Bills-Bengals Game Ever Be Finished Following Damar Hamlin Incident? ESPN’s Bomani Jones Says No

HBO and ESPN host Bomani Jones told CNN the Bills-Bengals game that was suspended when Bills star safety Damar Hamlin collapsed on the field will likely never be finished or replayed.

The sports world and the country were stunned by the incident that forced the unprecedented suspension of Monday night’s game. Hamlin sprang to his feet after tackling Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins, but then fell to the turf and had to be given CPR on the field. The Bills later announced he’d had a cardiac arrest attack and that his heartbeat was restored on the field.

Hamlin was hospitalized in critical condition, and the NFL announced the game would be “postponed” in consultation with the NFL Players Association.

On Tuesday morning’s edition of CNN This Morning, Jones — host of HBO Max’s Game Theory with Bomani Jones and the ESPN podcast Right Time with Bomani Jones — talked to co-anchors Poppy Harlow and Don Lemon about the implications of the shocking incident.

Jones said he doesn’t believe the game will ever be completed and even cast doubt on whether the Bills’ next scheduled game will occur this Sunday:

BOMANI JONES: I don’t think this game is going to be played because I don’t think logistically it’s really going to be possible for this to be played. Like you can’t decide, okay, we’re going to play the game on Wednesday. And then as these dudes do, come out here and play again on Sunday just because of the physical wear and tear that the game takes.

There’s no reason to play this game. Like if you want to be cold and cynical about it. I watch what happened after they suspended that game. They ran all those ads, everybody got their money. Those tickets were sold. Right? Like this, this isn’t a matter of we need to recoup this for financial reasons and honestly the consequences of the standings, you’ll figure that out.

They don’t have to play this game, and I don’t think they will play this game because what are we going to do? Tune in to watch this game and think about the fact that we thought we watched somebody die, all game long? It’s not a win for anybody, and I think the league is going to have to look up and recognize there’s nothing left for them to do with this game.

They need to ask themselves whether or not these two teams are going to be able to play the game they have scheduled on Sunday because we’re like, Hey, okay, well, maybe they can get out here and play tomorrow. I don’t know about you, but if my coworker had something like that happen to me dead in front of me, I’m not promising you I’m coming to work for the rest of the week.

DON LEMON: Yeah, well, not dead at this point, but yeah.

BOMANI JONES: Yeah, yeah, but that’s why I say what happened. Because I would be very clear about that, what happened.

DON LEMON: What happened.

POPPY HARLOW: Should be up to the players.

BOMANI JONES: It is up to the players. If they decide there ain’t gonna be no game. You can’t go out on the street and throw people in Buffalo Bill suits and get them out here. If they don’t want to play, it’s not going to be a game. And I hope the union and everybody else is telling me every single one of those dudes, you have the power right now to decide if this show goes on.

Watch above via CNN This Morning.

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