Scott Stinson: A scary scene in Cincinnati, and the NFL waits and hopes

What happened to Damar Hamlin on Monday night in Cincinnati was all so routine, and then suddenly it was not.

The Buffalo Bills safety made a tackle midway through the first quarter that looked like any other. He went down after the bodies untangled, which happens sometimes. Trainers came out to attend to him, also relatively normal. The ESPN broadcast went to commercial, as they do.

But when it came back, the images were of Bills players who were visibly, alarmingly, distraught. Josh Allen, the beast of a quarterback who plays like he is made of granite, held both his hands to his face, his eyes wide in shock. Stefon Diggs, the fiery wide receiver, paced around with tears streaming down his cheeks. Cornerback Tre’Davious White, also in tears, put his head in the chest of centre Mitch Morse, who gave him a consoling hug.

It began more than an hour of a grim spectacle in which Hamlin was treated on the field, given CPR while his teammates shielded the scene from onlookers and cameras, and was removed by ambulance. It first appeared as though the game would resume, with ESPN broadcaster Joe Buck saying the teams would be given a five-minute warmup. Buck sounded incredulous at this news. Moments later, Bengals coach Zac Taylor walked across the field to Sean McDermott, his Bills counterpart. They spoke, emotion visible on both faces, and signalled to their players to return to the locker rooms. About an hour later, truly a shockingly long time given the events, the game was called off. Temporarily suspended, officially.