President Joe Biden asked about the dangers of football after Damar Hamlin’s on-field cardiac arrest

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‘I don’t know how you avoid it’: President Joe Biden faces questions about the dangers of football after Damar Hamlin’s on-field cardiac arrest, but says ‘it is dangerous, you’ve got to just acknowledge it’

President Joe Biden has weighed in on the dangers of football after Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin suffered a cardiac arrest during Monday’s game against the Bengals in Cincinnati.

Asked if he believes the NFL is ‘getting too dangerous,’ Biden stressed that the dangers of the sport are unavoidable.

‘No look,’ Biden began. ‘I don’t know how you avoid it [dangerous hits]. I think working like hell on the helmets and the concussion protocols, that all makes a lot of sense. But…it is dangerous, you’ve got to just acknowledge it.’

President Joe Biden asked about the dangers of football after Damar Hamlin’s on-field cardiac arrest

President Joe Biden has weighed in on the dangers of football after Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin suffered a cardiac arrest during Monday’s game against the Bengals in Cincinnati

Biden added that he had made contact with Hamlin’s parents, saying: ‘I spoke to his mother and father at length.’

Hamlin suffered a cardiac arrest after making a tackle on Bengals receiver Tee Higgins during the first quarter of Monday’s game. He was administered CPR on the field and required resuscitation. He is now in critical condition in the intensive care unit at University of Cincinnati Medical Center.

‘We all remain optimistic,’ Jordon Rooney, a family spokesman who described himself as a good friend of the player, told The Associated Press by phone. He said he was unable to go into further detail on Hamlin’s status at the request of his family not to provide specifics.

Rooney’s update came after Hamlin’s uncle, Dorrian Glenn, told numerous media outlets Tuesday night there were some encouraging signs in his nephew’s progress, such as doctors lowering the level of oxygen Hamlin needs from 100 percent to 50 percent.

‘He’s still sedated right now,’ Glenn told CNN. ‘They just want him to have a better chance of recovering better. So, they feel that if he’s sedated, his body can heal a lot faster than if he was woke and possibly cause other complications.’

‘It seems like he’s trending upwards in a positive way,’ Glenn added.

Without knowing the exact cause of Hamlin’s cardiac arrest, many have suggested that football is at fault for the frightening scene in Cincinnati on Monday night.

Some fans have questioned whether NFL players would change the way they tackled if they didn’t have the protection of padding.

One Twitter user commented: ‘I wonder what would happen if they removed all the pads and gave them leather helmets?

‘The reason they go balls to the wall with hits is because they wear armor. You [don’t] see dudes launching themselves like that in rugby.’

In the wake of Hamlin’s cardiac arrest, another social media user said: ‘@NFL It’s time to revisit equipment helmet, body armor, and anything else. Don’t wait another day… reach out to these companies and scientists – let’s get it done. Thank you. #damarhamlin.’

While one said: ‘I realize it’s counterintuitive but football might be safer re organ impact injuries if there was less body armor, not more.

‘It’s body armor that has increased the force of impact contact between players. It may protect against some injuries but not this.’

The horrifying incident has brought attention back to whether armor should be used in the NFL

The horrifying incident has brought attention back to whether armor should be used in the NFL

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