ESPN analyst Bart Scott was called ‘disgusting’ for suggesting Tee Higgins was to blame for dropping his helmet on Damar Hamlin’s hit, moments before the Bills player went into cardiac arrest on the field. .. but others say ‘he explains, not blames’
ESPN’s NFL analyst Bart Scott has been called ‘disgusting’ for suggesting Tee Higgins was at fault for dropping his helmet in the collision with Damar Hamlin, moments before the Bills player collapsed from cardiac arrest.
The 24-year-old Hamlin is in critical condition after being given CPR on the field following a collision with Higgins, of the Cincinnati Bengals, in the first quarter of Monday’s game. Hamlin got up from the floor, apparently trying to fix his helmet before falling motionless to the ground.
Hamlin’s uncle told CNN on Tuesday night that Hamlin was ‘trending upwards in a positive way’ but had to be resuscitated twice, once in the field, after his collapse.
Scott discussed the incident on ESPN’s First Take with Stephen A Smith and said he felt Higgins drop his head before the tackle from Hamlin, which caused the Bills player to be hit in the chest.
Bart Scott controversially suggested Tee Higgins (second left) lower his helmet before tackling Damar Hamlin moments before he suffered a cardiac arrest
Hamlin’s uncle said Tuesday night that Hamlin is ‘trending upwards in a positive way’
To start, Scott said: ‘The NFL tried to take the head out of the game. We hardly ever think about violent hits — we always associate that with defensive players targeting and lowering their heads.
‘But they put the rule in maybe five years ago, that offensive players can’t use the crown of their head, helmet as a weapon, which is what Tee Higgins did and I’m not trying to blame Tee Higgins , but that was something they tried to get rid of.’
Smith interjected, saying: ‘But explain that to the audience. Tell us what happened, that you are talking about. What exactly did Tee do – unintentionally of course – what did Tee Higgins really do?’
Scott replied: ‘Before the tackle, he dropped his helmet and threw his body across his chest.
‘He stood up because he thought he had to chase Tee Higgins at an angle to make the tackle so he didn’t expect Tee Higgins to throw his body back at him.
Hamlin (No 3) stood up briefly after tackling Higgins before collapsing in shocking scenes as the Buffalo Bills played the Cincinnati Bengals
Moments later Hamlin collapsed, falling backwards and motionless to the floor
Higgins tweeted Monday night that he was praying for Hamlin to pull through
‘It’s one of those things, you see it a lot as a linebacker – a running back in the hole and he knows the contact is coming so he drops his helmet and you can’t get under him to get him. of you and your chest is exposed.
‘They’ve taken that out of the game but they’re not really regulating it as much as possible. I hope the league will be more vigilant when it comes to that and using that penalty.’
One fan took the footage and retweeted it, saying: ‘The fact that no one immediately blasted Bart Scott here disgusts me.
‘The implication that Tee Higgins is responsible for Damar Hamlin’s current hospitalization due to a freak accident is disgusting and completely unacceptable. They are playing football, nobody has any ill will.’
Another said: ‘Bart was way out of line with his comments; they both make football moves to gain extra yardage or make a tackle. NO INTENT to hurt here.’
Some fans were not impressed with Scott’s assessment of the Hamlin incident
But other viewers felt that Scott was trying to explain what happened instead of blaming anyone
A different, but more painful view, read: ‘Bart Scott is an idiot. It’s really wild how some of these dudes have tv jobs.’
But some viewers didn’t think Bart deserved the criticism, saying: ‘Is he really blaming her or just explaining what physically happened?’
Another wrote: ‘There is a big difference between blaming and explaining. There’s no way it blames Higgins.’
Higgins himself took to Twitter on Monday night, after the incident, writing: ‘My prayers and thoughts go out to @HamlinIsland the Hamlin Family. I’m praying that you get through bro. Love.’
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