Zac Taylor reveals what Sean McDermott told him after Damar Hamlin collapsed

Jan 4, 2020; Houston, Texas, USA; Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott before the AFC Wild Card NFL Playoff game against the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Zac Taylor on Wednesday spoke with the media for the first time since his Cincinnati Bengals’ Week 17 “Monday Night Football” game against the Buffalo Bills was suspended after Damar Hamlin collapsed. Taylor shared what Bills head coach Sean McDermott told him after Hamlin suffered his medical emergency.

The NFL resumes games even after serious medical situations, so there seemed to be plans to resume Monday’s game as usual. But that plan changed once all the parties involved recognized just how unprecedented the situation was. Ultimately, the head coaches of the respective teams convened and decided they could not move forward with the game.

Taylor says that McDermott told him the Bills coach felt he needed to be at the hospital with Hamlin and not coaching the game.

Zac Taylor praised Bills coach Sean McDermott.

"The first thing [Sean McDermott] said was, 'I need to be at the hospital with Damar.'" pic.twitter.com/3J0fkdjJ0v

— ESPN (@espn) January 4, 2023

“I won’t disclose any of the private conversations Sean and I had except for this. When I got there, the first thing he said was, ‘I need to be at the hospital with Damar. I shouldn’t be coaching this game,'” Taylor revealed.

“That to me provides all the clarity because there was no … unprecedented is the word that gets thrown around a lot about this situation, because that’s what it is. But in that moment, he really showed who he was — that all his focus was just on Damar and being there for him, being there for his family at the hospital. And at that point, I think everything trended in the direction it needed to trend and the right decisions were made there.”

McDermott now has the responsibility of preparing his team for its Week 18 game at home against the Patriots on Sunday amid the difficult situation. The Bengals are scheduled to host the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday in Week 18.

The Bills on Wednesday shared an encouraging update about the status of Hamlin.