Watching Damar Hamlin collapse due to a cardiac arrest on Monday Night Football was really tough. It was a horrifying reminder of how violent football can be, and how fragile life is. It was tragic to watch from the safety of a couch at home, and it’s unfathomable how traumatic it may have been for not only the Bills and Bengals players on the field, but other football players watching from afar.
“The NFL’s a fraternity,” said Matt Eberflus. “These guys are close. We have a couple guys on our team who are close to him. Obviously you feel for him and his family. The guy’s fighting for his life right now. Then they see that reflection in the mirror. I think that’s a little bit frightening. I think they have to wrap their brain around the violent game they do play and the risk they take every single week. These guys are human and they have parents and loved ones and wives and aunts and uncles that love them just like any other family. So they’re not robots out there. I think that human side of it really came out in that leadership council meeting today.”
There’s no right way to deal with a tragedy like this, so the Bears are giving the players time and space to digest and express their feelings. They’re listening to how the players feel, and they’re making sure all the players are aware of and have access to mental health resources like team clinician Carla Suber.
“It hits home,” Eberflus said. “Hits home to the player, to the individual player, and also it hits home to their loved ones, you know the loved ones that care about them. We're very mindful of that. We've been mindful of that since that tragic incident on Monday Night Football. Been talking to the players ever since that. Had a leadership council meeting this morning to have all of those guys in there together and you can certainly see the impact of that. So, that's kind of what we're doing this morning along with the meetings.”
On a conference call on Wednesday, NFL executive vice president of football operations Troy Vincent told reporters that "everything is being considered" regarding the remainder of the regular season schedule, but so far there’s been no word of Sunday’s games being postponed. The natural question for coaches and players alike is how they get back in the proper mental space to play football this weekend. The Bears aren’t concerned about that right now, though.
“I’m concerned more about them as individuals right now,” Eberflus said. “I would say that, again, time, working through things, giving the space to be able to do that and really process what’s going on.”
David Montgomery was honest about the raw emotions he felt watching Hamlin’s cardiac arrest. He said Hamlin remains in the forefront of his mind, and he was a little uneasy coming to Halas Hall on Wednesday. But Montgomery was thankful for the support from both his teammates and the organization.
NFL
“We had a great conversation this morning with the leadership council and the rest of the team,” Montgomery said. “Mr. McCaskey came down. He talked to us all. He let us all know that he’s here with us, he’s here for us. We’ve got our leaders stepping up and allowing everybody to know this is a safe space, this is a safe haven for everyone to talk and be completely vulnerable, so that you can express what you need to express. I always say mental health is a real thing and this situation can be triggering for a lot of people’s mental health. We’re handling it accordingly.”
Montgomery has opened up about his mental health this season, and says the team pastor, Pastor Teddy, has been a valuable resource for him as well.
“He always grants me some reassurance in my life and where I am mentally and who I am.”
Eberflus said no one has come to him saying that they don’t want to play on Sunday, but he will be available to listen and support anyone who’s having a tough time.
“I understand their feelings,” Eberflus said. “I do. I do want to listen to all their feelings. That to me is important. The relationship that we’ve built, not only with me and the players but also the players with the players and players and coaches. We certainly want to hear what their concerns are.
“It’s all going to be different. Every person’s different. And that’s OK to be that way. We just said that we’re here, we’re supportive.”