Hamlin showing slight improvement

American football player Damar Hamlin is still in critical condition but showing some improvement, his team has said.

The Buffalo Bills player suffered a cardiac arrest on the field during a primetime Monday night US National Football League game in Cincinnati.

On Wednesday, the Bills issued the brief update on his status.

Tributes for Hamlin have poured in from the Buffalo community, the NFL and across the sports world.

The Bills said in a post on Twitter that Hamlin showed “signs of improvement noted yesterday and overnight”.

“He is expected to remain under intensive care as his health care team continues to monitor and treat him.”

Hamlin suffered a cardiac arrest during the game after tackling Cincinnati Bengals receiver Tee Higgins, whose helmet appeared to hit Hamlin in the chest. After initially getting to his feet, Hamlin fell on his back.

His injury during the game came as a shock to his family and loved ones, his uncle Dorrian Glenn said.

“I’ve never cried so hard in my life,” Mr Glenn told CNN. “Just to know, like, my nephew basically died on the field and they brought him back to life. I mean, it’s just heartbreaking.”

Glenn told CNN that Hamlin had to be resuscitated twice, once on the field and again in the hospital, though the player’s friend and marketing agent Jordon Rooney later said the uncle misspoke.

“Damar’s only been resuscitated once,” Rooney clarified.

Glenn said his nephew is showing encouraging signs of improvement, such as doctors lowering the level of oxygen he needs. But he added Hamlin is on a ventilator and still sedated.

“They just want him to have a better chance of recovering better,” Glenn said. “So, they feel that if he’s sedated, his body can heal a lot faster.”

Hamlin, 24, was drafted to the NFL in 2021 out of the University of Pittsburgh, where he played college football.

Pittsburgh’s coach, Pat Narduzzi, posted a tribute to Hamlin on Twitter, writing that he is “far more than just a football player”.

“He’s a loving son, brother and friend,” Narduzzi wrote. “Damar is a hero to thousands of Pittsburgh kids.”

Tributes to Hamlin have hailed his extensive charity work, including annual toy drive fundraisers he has organised ahead of Christmas over the last three years.

Donations to an online GoFundMe page for a toy drive launched by him in 2020 have surpassed $7m (£5.87m) as of Thursday morning.

Following Hamlin’s injury, the NFL has indefinitely postponed the game between the Bills and the Bengals, with the league saying it has made “no decision” on whether the game will be resumed at a later date.

Hamlin’s team, the Buffalo Bills, is scheduled to play the New England Patriots on Sunday. (BBC)