Andrew Brandt Reacts To How The NFL Handled The Damar Hamlin Injury
Last night was one of the scarier situations we have witnessed on a Football field, at least in recent memory. Damar Hamlin collapsed on the field and went into cardiac arrest. Paramedics had to perform live-saving measures like CPR right on the field in front of his teammates, an audience of 60,000 plus people, and a national TV Audience. And in the aftermath there has been a ton of talk of how the NFL handled it, Should they have called the game earlier? And have they reacted properly in the aftermath? Former NFL Executive Andrew Brandt joined “The Best Show Ever?” how the NFL handled the Hamlin situation.
On If The NFL Should Have Postponed Game Sooner
“If you know me, I don’t defend the NFL often, but I am here. I do think there is a lot more that goes into it than people realize. It is not just, he just suffered cardiac arrest, we can’t play. It is talking to the coaches, to the officials, and to the facility people at the stadium. And then you are now going to now dump 60,000 onto the streets of Cincinnati with no planning to do so before. You planned to do that at 11 at night. Not 9 at night. There is a lot of coordination that goes into it.
Now I don’t know exactly what went on. And I don’t know if these reports that they were actually going to play the game (are true). But this is not something you do without coordination with local and regional authorities. When you put on a game in the NFL you are having a cocktail party for 70,000 people. It is a big job.”
On Roger Goodell Not Speaking Publicly About This Yet
“It is a totally different situation, but I was saying this loud and front and center with Ray Rice in 2014. We didn’t see him for 10 days. There was a real leadership void. And we needed to see him last night. I know Troy has a leadership role… But it’s his game. He is the leader. And I am a little surprised he hasn’t even spoken today…
We needed a voice. That is where leadership comes in. You know me I am a big Sixers fan. I have seen Adam Silver step up in these moments. And I have seen Adam Silver show humanity, and open himself up. Roger is very corporate. And very unrevealing. I don’t know this for sure, but the way I see it, his bosses want him to be that way. I think his bosses, the Owners, want him to lack vulnerability in his public approach. Because I have seen Roger get a little more human… And I just don’t know if it has gotten to the point where the money is so big that he just becomes a little more corporate.”
Listen to their full conversation below…
