by Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen is adamant that his team will be ready to take the field against the New England Patriots on Sunday at the request of Damar Hamlin.
The Bills returned to practice on Thursday for the first time since Monday’s game with the Cincinnati Bengals was suspended in the middle of the game after Hamlin collapsed on the field of a heart attack.
Hamlin had to be resuscitated in the field and has since been in intensive care at the hospital in critical condition, but Bills provided a medical update Thursday saying he has made “remarkable improvement”.
Hamlin’s father, Mario, spoke to the Bills players and insisted that he and his son want them to play on Sunday.
“He didn’t tell us, he asked us to,” Allen told reporters. “You can’t fulfill the urge to go out there and attack as best we can.
“Obviously, we’re going to play with less grief now that we know today’s news has so many tears of joy. Knowing that this is what he and his father wanted, I think the kids are excited to get out there.”
When asked if he believed the Bills players would be ready to take the field on Sunday as planned, Allen said yes.
“It’s going to be a little different for every person. Getting that helmet back on today has been really good for our team to make that progress,” Allen said.
“Some people will change forever once they’re on the field and have those feelings. The updates we get constantly about the vein lift our spirits. We lean on each other. We had some open, honest and deep conversations.
“We’ve had some incredible hugs as men, when you’re just hugging one, you need every ounce of it. The constant good news about the vein pushes us forward.”
Allen acknowledged that it would be difficult not to think of the Hamlin situation when they entered the field on Sunday, but insisted they should shut it down.
“It’s hard not to let it creep into your mind,” he said. “We were assured that this was the weirdest of freak accidents.
“The mental aspect of going out on that field is that if you have that thought, it puts yourself at even more risk.
“Coach [Sean McDermott] She did a great job of making men understand this and that you need to be bought mentally.
“As people it’s hard not to feel that way, it’s hard to just know the past performance of the league. Obviously, injuries are there, it’s part of the sport and that’s the worst thing you can think of.”
