NFL game postponed after Buffalo Bills player Damar Hamlin collapses and suffers cardiac arrest

UPDATED with the NFL's decision to postpone the game for the night and the Buffalo Bills update on the condition of player Damar Hamlin.

The "Monday Night Football" game between the Buffalo Bills and the Cincinnati Bengals was suspended in the first quarter after Bills safety Damar Hamlin collapsed after a hit and was taken off the field by ambulance.

Hamlin, 24, suffered cardiac arrest on the field, according to a Buffalo Bills statement released via Twitter at 1:48 a.m. ET.

The tweet confirmed reports from the NFL and ESPN that the player received CPR on the field, explaining that "His heart rate was restored in the field and he was transferred to UC Medical Center for further testing and treatment. He is currently sedated and listed in critical condition."

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The chilling situation unfolded live on "Monday Night Football", around 8:55 p.m. ET, when Hamlin got up after tackling Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins, then suddenly collapsed. As medical staff tended to Hamlin, players on both teams looked visibly distraught, with ESPN reporters describing the sight of Bills players openly crying. The team gathered in a circle on the pitch moments after Hamlin was taken off the pitch in an ambulance.

About 23 minutes after Hamlin's collapse, Bills coach Sean McDermott and coach of the Bengals Zac Taylor granted a temporary suspension of the game was called. The score was 7-3, with the Bengals in the lead and about 6 minutes from the end of the first quarter.

The ambulance left the stadium at 9:25 p.m. ET, transporting the Bills' sophomore to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center, the closest trauma center to Paycor Stadium. "MNF" announcer Joe Buck reported that Hamlin's mother was on hand for the game and accompanied him to the hospital.

"It was a shocking scene on this pitch as players watch a teammate and brother leave thanks to intense CPR on this field,” Buck told viewers at 10:01 p.m. ET, when the NFL officially issued the decision to suspend the game for the night. There was no immediate news on the plans report.

"It's really hard," said "MNF" studio presenter Suzy Kolber . "All we want, all everyone wants in this world, is to know that Damar Hamlin will be okay."

Kolber and "MNF" analysts Adam Schefter and Booger McFarland have thoroughly analyzed the crucial game for the two top contenders in the AFC East. But the discussion soon turned dark. McFarland, a former Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Indianapolis Colts player, looked stunned as he, Kolber and Schefter sought to make sense of the shocking development. "America, right now, is concerned about one thing: the health and safety of this young man," he said.

"MNF" announcers Buck and Troy Aikman and sideline reporter Lisa Salters also found themselves with little of words but expressions of support for Hamlin and both teams. As the temporary suspension continued, the ESPN team began voicing the sentiments of football fans on social media that the NFL should call the game. The hashtag #CalltheGame was trending on Twitter.

The NFL's official statement said it had been in "constant communication with the NFL Players Association ".< /p>

"MNF" football pros knew the game was over for tonight long before Roger Goodell , NFL Commission, it's called.

"We're done playing football tonight," McFarland said at around 9:40 p.m. HE.

ESPN cameras moved outside the entrance...