The NFL has denied giving the Buffalo Bills and Cincinnati Bengals just five minutes to warm up after watching Damar Hamlin go into cardiac arrest and receive CPR during a game Monday night.
However, ESPN and “Monday Night Football” lead announcer Joe Buck are adamant about what happened.
Buck, in his first year with ESPN after working for Fox from 1994 to 2021, said on air during the broadcast that teams would have five minutes to warm up and resume play.
In an interview with the new york Post Office, Buck said the information about the resumption of play came from ESPN rules expert John Parry, who was in direct communication with the league.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM
Buffalo Bills players react after teammate Damar Hamlin was injured against the Cincinnati Bengals during the first quarter at Paycor Stadium on January 2, 2023 in Cincinnati.
(Kirk Irwin/Getty Images)
“They said they’re going to give these guys a five-minute warmup to get them ready,” Buck said. The charge by phone
ESPN, the broadcast home of “Monday Night Football” since 2006, said it reported on air what was said in real time.
“There was constant real-time communication between ESPN and league and game officials,” ESPN said in a statement. “As a result of that, we reported what we were told at the time and immediately updated fans as new information was learned. This was an unprecedented and rapidly evolving circumstance. Throughout the night, we refrained from speculation.”
Joe Buck walks through Lambeau Field before a game between the Green Bay Packers and the Cleveland Browns on December 25, 2021 in Green Bay, Wisconsin.
(Stacy Revere/Getty Images)
NFL executive Troy Vincent rejected the idea, going so far as to call it “ridiculous” and “insensitive.”
“I’m not sure where that came from,” Vincent said Tuesday morning. “Frankly, there was no period of time for the players to warm up. Frankly, all we asked was that [referee] Shawn [Smith] communicate with both head coaches to ensure they had adequate time inside the locker room to discuss what they felt was best.
NFL SLAMS EXECUTIVE NOTICE PLAYERS HAD 5 MINUTES TO WARM UP AFTER DAMAR HAMLIN INCIDENT: ‘THAT’S RIDICULOUS’
“So, I’m not sure where that came from. The five-minute warm-up never crossed my mind, personally. And I was the one who… was communicating with the commissioner. We never… frankly, never knew It crossed our minds to talk about warming up to resume play. That’s ridiculous. That’s insensitive. And that’s not a place we should be.”
Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin warms up before a game against the Detroit Lions at Ford Field.
(Lon Horwedel/USA Today Sports)
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
The game was postponed 66 minutes after the hit and 36 minutes after Hamlin was transported off the field in an ambulance.
The NFL announced Tuesday that the postponed game will not be completed this week, and Week 18 will, from now on, be played as-is.
Fox News’ Ryan Gaydos contributed to this report.
