Damar Hamlin, football's risks on minds of Vikings as they return to work

Vikings defensive tackle Harrison Phillips had secured Timberwolves tickets Monday night so he and his fiancee could spend time with new teammate Sheldon Day and his fiancee. The Buffalo Bills, Phillips' old team, were playing the defending AFC champion Bengals that night, so Phillips kept checking his phone for updates on the highly anticipated game.

Early in the game, Phillips' fiancee told him the stunning news she'd just seen: His former teammate Damar Hamlin was receiving emergency medical care on the field after his heart stoppedfollowing a tackle. The news drove Phillips out of the Target Center and onto his knees.

"I've obviously been praying. I got on my knees, praying and trying to figure out, 'What can you do?' " Phillips said Wednesday. "There's nothing really to do other than try to reach out to everyone you can and make sure that they know that they're loved and bring as much support as you can."

Wednesday was the first day back at practice for the Vikings and most NFL teams since Hamlin was taken Monday night to a Cincinnati hospital. He remains sedated in critical condition, and family and friends told media outlets that he was showing signs of improvement. Players headed into the final week of the regular season with Hamlin's health, and the inherent violence of the game that put all of them at risk, still on their minds.

Minnesota coach Kevin O'Connell, a former NFL quarterback himself, sent Vikings players a message Monday night saying he understood how hard it was for them to watch Hamlin's collapse. In the message, and in team meetings Wednesday, O'Connell said he reminded players of the emotional and mental health resources the Vikings make available to them and their families.

"We just want to be there for them," O'Connell said. "Their mental health, their emotional health, is very, very important to me and our entire organization."

Quarterback Kirk Cousins said he went to bed Monday night with a "heavy heart," asking his wife, Julie, if she could check for updates on Hamlin's condition as soon as he woke up Tuesday.

"It's been the first thing addressed in each meeting we've had today," Cousins said Wednesday. "I think that was important. It's very much on the forefront of people's minds."

By the time they reach the NFL, players have become inured to the risks of a game where broken bones, torn ligaments and even more serious injuries — such as the compound fracture Vikings safety Lewis Cine sustained in October, or the concussions left tackle Christian Darrisaw suffered in back-to-back games in November — are commonplace.

The sight of an ambulance driving onto the field while Hamlin received CPR in a nationally-televised game, however, was enough to give even an 11-year veteran like Cousins pause.

As he returned to practice Wednesday, preparing for Sunday's game against the Bears in Chicago, Cousins acknowledged the gravity of the situation while leaning on the tools he's used to navigate the risks he's run since he began playing football as a kid.

"What happened Monday night, it's hard to just ignore or shake off," he said. "I also think we're professionals; we have a job to do. Every game, you're aware of the risks, and you still have to go play.

"You really also try to trust your training, your instincts and rely on those. You pray for protection; I think just about every guy in the league does. And I think so many of us are grateful, knowing all the hits we've taken over decades, that [Hamlin's situation] hasn't been more common."

It struck Vikings linebacker Patrick Jones, Hamlin's teammate at the University of Pittsburgh, on a different level.

"I just kept saying in my mind, 'Get up, get up, get up,' " Jones said, recalling his reaction when he saw Hamlin collapse. "I just started praying for him and thinking of his family. … Damar's one of those guys, wherever he goes, he's going to light up the room."

On Monday night, Phillips texted as many of his former Bills teammates as he could; he said he didn't get to sleep until he knew they'd returned to Buffalo. Tuesday, in between appointments to help his body recover from the Vikings' game in Green Bay, he started making phone calls to see how he could help.

He bought Tuesday night dinner for Hamlin's family, the Bills' medical staff and the workers in the hospital's intensive care unit, finding a Cincinnati restaurant that could cater sandwiches, salads, chips and drinks to the hospital. On Wednesday, Phillips said, he planned to cater a Chipotle buffet to the hospital. His foundation, Harrison's Playmakers, is collecting donations for dinners at the hospital and an event he plans to hold in Hamlin's honor.

Jones talked with Phillips this week about helping him put on the event. He said they will sort out the details later.

For now, Phillips has returned to work, hoping for the good news he said would help settle his mind. Jones is preparing to play another game, knowing there's a new driving force to help him shoulder the risk and live his lifelong dream.

"Whenever I go out there, I gotta remember, like, I'm playing for a lot of reasons, and I'm playing for another one," Jones said. "I'm playing for my brother. But it's tough, for real."