By Aditi Sangal, Adrienne Vogt, Leinz Vales and Matt Meyer, CNN
President Joe Biden reacted to an update on Buffalo Bills player Damar Hamlin's health Thursday, referencing a conversation he had with the safety's parents.
"Great news," Biden said, retweeting a statement from the Bills from his official Twitter account. The president said he spoke with Hamlin's parents Wednesday.
View the tweet below:
From CNN's Jacob Lev
The NFL has not made a decision on whether to resume the Buffalo Bills game against the Cincinnati Bengals that was postponed Monday after Damar Hamlin's collapse, NFL spokesperson Brian McCarthy told CNN Thursday.
The NFL said it is continuing to explore a number of options.
The game's official outcome could have implications for the league's playoffs, set to begin after this weekend's contests on Saturday and Sunday.
From CNN's David Close
New England Patriots special teams coordinator Cam Achord said players have come to him to express their feelings following the Bills’ Damar Hamlin’s on-field collapse.
“A few guys have definitely come by," Achord said when asked on Thursday if some players were having trouble processing what happened on Monday night. "We've talked about the situation and talked about life in general and kind of just got to know each other a little bit better as people.”
Achord, who has been with the team for five seasons, said Hamlin’s situation has brought the Patriots closer together.
“Getting to know everybody as people and their background and as people that really goes a long way. So, I talked about just life in general a little bit this this week, which has been really good in the aspect of getting to know the guys at the heart of their core,” he said.
The Patriots play the Bills in Buffalo on Sunday.
From CNN's Jill Martin
New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick spoke with reporters shortly after the Buffalo Bills released an update on Damar Hamlin’s condition Thursday.
“The news from a little earlier this morning about Damar’s progress is great news and encouraging for all of us,” Belichick said.
The coach said he doesn’t typically watch Monday Night Football, except to maybe randomly flip through it. But because the Patriots’ next opponent was Buffalo, he said he had the game on at the time Hamlin collapsed.
Belichick said he addressed the situation with his team Tuesday.
“Really all I can say – really all I’m going to say – is I think everybody’s doing the best they can,” Belichick said. “That could be on a lot of different levels and a lot of different perspectives. But we’re all doing the best that we can.”
The latest on Hamlin's status: The 24-year-old player is still critically ill but has "shown remarkable improvement over the past 24 hours," the Bills said in an update shortly before Belichick's remarks Thursday.
His agent told CNN that Hamlin is awake and holding hands with his family in the hospital.
From CNN’s David Williams
After Buffalo Bills cornerback Kaiir Elam tweeted that Damar Hamlin is awake and improving, many in the National Football League reacted with elation.
Buffalo Bills
Rashad Weaver, Tennessee Titans and college teammate of Hamlin
Jonnu Smith, New England Patriots
Kadarius Toney, Kansas City Chiefs
Reggie Ragland, Cleveland Browns
Los Angeles Rams Linebacker Ernest Jones
From CNN's Jill Martin
Shortly before the Buffalo Bills posted an update on Damar Hamlin, Bills cornerback Kaiir Elam tweeted that his teammate was awake and improving.
“Our boy is doing better, awake and showing more signs of improvement. Thank you God. Keep the prayers coming please. All love 3!”
From CNN's David Close
Damar Hamlin’s agent Ron Butler told CNN the injured Buffalo Bills player is awake and has been holding hands with family in the hospital.
The Buffalo Bills earlier said that Hamlin has "shown remarkable improvement over the past 24 hours" and "has demonstrated that he appears to be neurologically intact."
Correction: An earlier version of this post misspelled the first name of the agent.
From CNN's David Close
Agency 1 Sports, the agency that represents Bills safety Damar Hamlin, tweeted that “Damar has made substantial improvement overnight.”
The agency also thanked people around the nation for support and all the healthcare providers who have helped Hamlin.
See the tweet:
Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin has "shown remarkable improvement over the past 24 hours," according to an update shared on the team's Twitter account.
"While still critically ill, he has demonstrated that he appears to be neurologically intact," the update added. "His lungs continue to heal and he is making steady progress."
Hamlin has been in critical condition since his collapse on the field at Monday's game and is under the care of the University of Cincinnati Medical Center.
