UPDATE: Moments after this story was posted, the Buffalo Bills said Damar Hamlin’s breathing tube has been removed and he addressed his teammates and coaches via Face Time.
Cincinnati, OH — Buffalo Bills Safety Damar Hamlin is awake and communicating, but only on paper.
Hamlin, who collapsed during the first quarter of Monday night’s Bills-Bengals game at Paycor Stadium, can’t speak because he’s still on a ventilator.
But doctors at UC Medical Center say he asked them, “Who won the game?”
The doctors replied, “You, Damar. You won the game of life.”
On Thursday, the 24-year-old Hamlin’s rep said he’s making steady progress and has shown, “…remarkable improvement over the past 24 hours.”
He also appears to be, “neurologically intact.”
However, Hamlin remains in critical condition and still has “a ways to go” in his recovery.
The NFL announced Thursday that the game between the Bills and Bengals will not be resumed and is canceled.
It’s the first NFL game to be canceled for anything other than a labor dispute since 1933.
Both teams are already in the playoffs.
The league plans to meet Friday to determine seeding and figure out other issues.