NFL players, NBA players, and retired professional athletes are demanding that Skip Bayless be fired over comments he made following Bills defender Damar Hamlin’s cardiac collapse on the field during Monday Night Football.
Following the suspension of the Bills-Bengals game in Cincinnati, the “Undisputed” host rushed to Twitter to comment on the issue.
The NFL is without a doubt considering postponing the remainder of this game, but how? As medical workers attended to Hamlin on the field in Cincinnati, Bayless tweeted. “At this point in the regular season, a game of this significance is important to the regular-season outcome… which now seems so inconsequential.”
Tuesday morning, Bayless appeared on the Fox Sports debate show without his co-host Shannon Sharpe, who he hoped would return on Tuesday.
NFL players, including Jets cornerback Sauce Gardner and free agent wide receiver Dez Bryant, retaliated swiftly to Bayless’s Monday night post, which sparked an immediate outcry.
Seriously, you’re discussing when the football game should be postponed? Currently, Damar Hamlin’s health is ALL that concerns! Nothing more! https://t.co/LNlbJLx1pY
January 3, 2023 — SAUCE (@iamSauceGardner)
“Are you discussing the postponement of the football game in good faith?” Gardner tweeted. “At this time, Damar Hamlin’s health is ALL that concerns! “Nothing more!”
Bryant, meanwhile, published a flurry of tweets criticizing Bayless.
“WE MUST CANCEL @RealSkipBayless IMMEDIATELY!!!” Bryant said in a subsequent tweet, “[F–K] YOU SKIP BAYLESS.”
I hope they dismiss you, man! It is so terrible that you even CONSIDER the game.
January 3, 2023 — Isaiah Thomas (@isaiahthomas) on Twitter
More professional athletes began to express their disapproval of Bayless’ remark.
Free agent NBA point guard Isaiah Thomas wrote in response to Bayless, “I hope they fire you, dude!!! It is so terrible that you even CONSIDER the game.
ESPN NBA commentator Kendrick Perkins wrote, “You’re a sick individual. Real Talk.”
Hall of Fame wide receiver Terrell Owens copied Bayless’ statement to Instagram and claimed it is “the most vile tweet ever,” adding, “I pray you LOSE YOUR JOB!!”
Former NBA champion Matt Barnes responded to Owens’s remark by stating, “Someone is going to smack the [sh-t] out of skip one of these days.”
Bayless immediately apologized in a separate tweet, writing Monday night, “Nothing is more important than that young man’s health. This was the purpose of my previous tweet. I apologize if anything was misinterpreted, but his health is the only thing that matters. Again, everything else is irrelevant. I prayed for him & will continue to.”
Damar Hamlin, a safety for the Bills, suffered a heart arrest during Monday Night Football versus the Bengals. Follow the live coverage of the New York Post for injury updates on his status.
Fans watch as the ambulance carrying Bills safety Damar Hamlin leaves Cincinnati, Ohio, on January 2, 2023, after he fainted after making a tackle against the Bengals.
Bayless did mention that he prayed for Hamlin and his family before to his controversial tweet about postponing the game.
“Not really sure what happened to Damar Hamlin,” Bayless wrote amid Monday night’s sad event. “Players on both teams are disturbed. Ambulance out on the field. CPR administered. Cannot recall the game being paused for this amount of time. Just prayed for him and his loved ones.
He continued, “I’ve witnessed several awful injuries on football fields, but I’ve never witnessed a response like this.” In every previous incident I watched or documented, the game always went on rather fast. The mentality was, “This is football.” “This was different for these players.”
According to the Bills, second-year safety Hamlin is currently sedated and in serious condition at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center, where he was rushed by ambulance.
Bills safety Damar Hamlin prior to a game against the Packers on August 28, 2021 at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park, New York.
The Bills-Bengals game was postponed after Hamlin slumped on the field after a strong tackle on Bengals receiver Tee Higgins in the first quarter.
The 24-year-old initially got up after the hit and appeared dazed before sliding to the ground on his back.
After collapsing on the field, Hamlin received CPR, and his heartbeat was restored before being transported to the UC Medical Center for further testing and treatment.
Jordon Rooney, the CEO of sports marketing business Jaster Athletes and a friend of Hamlin’s marketing manager, tweeted an update on Monday evening.
“[Hamlin’s] vitals are back to normal and they have put him to sleep to insert a breathing tube into his throat. Currently, they are conducting testing,” Rooney stated.
Tuesday morning, the University of Cincinnati Medical Center did not plan to issue a statement.
Bayless apologized on Tuesday’s episode of Fox’s “Undisputed” for addressing typical sports issues while Hamlin’s life was still in danger.
Today, Skip Bayless lacks Shannon Sharpe for Undisputed.
He attempted to apologize for yesterday night’s and today’s debate regarding Damar Hamlin. pic.twitter.com/MTg7w0gafx
January 3, 2023 — Complex Sports (@ComplexSports)
“I’ll admit up front that I’m still shaken by what happened to Damar Hamlin last night,” Bayless stated. In reality, I’m still in shambles. In fact, I am uncertain of my ability to perform this event today. After a brief period of consideration, I decided to give it a try.
The last thing we want is to appear insensitive to what this young man is going through in a life-or-death scenario, so we debated throughout the night whether or not to air a show today. The last thing we want to do is insult someone by continuing to discuss sports as we always have.”
»Athletes demand Skip Bayless’ dismissal after Damar Hamlin’s’sick’ comment«