It was a football play. A receiver caught a pass, and a safety tackled him after a 13-yard gain.
And then the safety collapsed, and it was the final play of the game.
“That’s not supposed to happen. Not like that,” said C.J. Goodwin, a Wheeling native who’s in his fifth season with the Dallas Cowboys. “A knee, or an ankle, or maybe a broken arm like I did back in 2018. But not cardiac arrest.”
But that is exactly what Buffalo’s Damar Hamlin suffered with nearly 6 minutes left in the first quarter against the Bengals. The safety had to be resuscitated on two occasions, once on the field and again after arriving to the hospital. His teammates and opponents watched on the turf of Paycor Stadium as his heartbeat was restored with a defibrillator.
Hamlin remained in critical condition this morning at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center.
Goodwin, fresh off a 27-13 road win over the Titans last Thursday evening, was not watching when the injury took place, but family members started reaching out moments after Hamill tackled the Bengals’ Tee Higgins.
“But to see someone go down like that? And then have to be taken off the field in an ambulance? It messes with you, man, I’m not going to lie.”
“It was strange how I found out about what had happened to Damar Hamill, but first he collapsed, and then I heard he was from Pittsburgh, and then I watched the hit and it didn’t seem like anything different than what you see a bunch of times during any football game,” Goodwin said. “And then, when he collapsed, it was a scary thing for a player in this league.
“It was a very uncomfortable feeling, but this is the business that we are in and we go into every game loving what we do. And we understand the risks, too, but when something like that happens, of course, it’s going to make you think,” the special teams specialist explained. “But to see someone go down like that? And then have to be taken off the field in an ambulance? It messes with you, man, I’m not going to lie.”
But it doesn’t change you, as a player, Goodwin insisted.
“You cannot play football and play scared. The NFL game is so physical so you most definitely cannot play scared. And I guarantee not a single player in this league has ever thought they might suffer cardiac arrest on the field,” Goodwin said. “A twist, as strain, who knows? But not cardiac arrest.
“I know it’s happened before in soccer and baseball, but it still seems like a freak occurrence and he and his family are in my prayers. I’m really praying he can make a full recovery,” he said. “But that was eerie to watch.”
A Cowboy Captain
As a kid in East Wheeling back in the 1990s, Goodwin would wear his Dallas jerseys to Elks Playground or down to Tunnel Green, and he would play those pickup games with a dream in mind.
But his concentration changed in high school during his days at The Linsly School. He played football for a year, but it was basketball that placed his name in headlines and it was the sport he played at Bethany College. Following his freshman year, though, his zig-zagged path to the NFL began after he transferred from the Brooke County liberal arts college to Fairmont State.
That’s when the game of football started making more sense, and now Goodwin is in his eighth NFL season and he’s hopeful to appear in his second Super Bowl come February.
And who knows? Maybe head coach Mike McCarthy will appoint him team captain once again.
“It’s a really a special thing for me to serve as a team captain because me and my family have always loved the Cowboys,” Goodwin said. “It was unbelievable when I was signed as a Cowboy and I put on that uniform and helmet, and then I get selected to be one of our captains? I can’t wait for the next time when my turn comes up again.
“Being one of the captains for the Dallas Cowboys is a dream come true, and it tells that God and my father are both smiling down on me, and I am truly grateful for that,” he said. “It’s crazy, but I’m not doing any of this alone, that’s for sure.”
It’s all about peaking as a team, and it’s all about peaking at exactly the right time.
“We’re OK right now. We’re figuring some things out, and that’s good. As a team, have more fine tuning to do and that’s why I’m glad we’ve had to play some tough teams the last few weeks,” Goodwin said. “This week we have Washington, and we have to make sure to play a good game so we can go into the playoffs humming like we know we can. It always seems to be that we have the talent, but we don’t seem to be able to put it all together in time.
“But this year feels different,” the Cowboy added. “There’s really not that one top-dog team out there this year like there’s been in the past, but no matter who we play, we’ll be going in knowing what we to do. I know Philadelphia is having a good year, and the 49ers might be the best team in the league now, but I know the Dallas Cowboys are not scared to line up against one of them any time.”
