'I don't know how you avoid it': Biden denies that NFL has become too violent after Hamlin's collapse
President Joe Biden said the NFL should continue to improve health protections for its players, but that Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin’s collapse during a game on Monday doesn’t mean the game is too dangerous.
“No,” Biden told reporters on Wednesday after he was asked if professional football was becoming too dangerous.
“Look, the idea that you’re going to have — you’ve got guys that are 6’8, 340 pounds, running a 4.8 40, you know, if you hit somebody — and that’s not what happened here, but I just think it’s — I don’t know how you avoid it,” he said.
“I think working like hell on the helmets, the concussion protocols, that makes a lot of sense,” he said. “But it’s, you know, it’s dangerous.”
Hamlin suffered cardiac arrest after making a tackle about nine minutes into the game against the Cincinnati Bengals and was taken to a hospital. The game was suspended after the nationally televised incident and Hamlin remains in critical condition “with signs of improvement,” the Bills said in a tweet on Wednesday.
Our new weekly Impact Report newsletter examines how ESG news and trends are shaping the roles and responsibilities of today’s executives. Subscribe here.