Damar Hamlin has a "substantial improvement", but there is much left for his recovery

The latest on Damar Hamlin's recovery 4:48

(CNN) -- Buffalo Bills

Damar Hamlin

had his breathing tube removed overnight and "continues to make notable progress in his recovery," the team said Friday morning, four days after the stoppage. heart attack of the 24-year-old during the match.

"His neurological function remains intact and he has been able to speak to his family and care team," he tweeted, citing doctors at the Cincinnati hospital where he is being treated.

However, the medical team warned that there are still many phases of Hamlin's recovery ahead of him.

The player, who had to be sedated and intubated after he collapsed, remains in critical condition, Pritts said.

The doctors did not specify when he began to wake up.

Hamlin collapsed Monday during the first quarter of the Bills' game against the hosts Cincinnati Bengals.

He was carried off the field in an ambulance, stunning a packed stadium — where players were left crying and hugging each other — and sparking a wave of support from strangers across the country, including the millions who watched the medical emergency on television in straight.

The NFL announced Thursday that the game between the Bills and Bengals, initially postponed Monday night, will not resume or be made up.

The league's players, many reeling from Hamlin's collapse, are now preparing for an emotional return to competition for their final games of the regular season on Saturday and Sunday.

LeBron James sends his support to Damar Hamlin 1:57

The Bills will face the New England Patriots and the Bengals will face the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday.

The league is working on plans to honor Hamlin in all 16 games this weekend, two people familiar with the matter told CNN's Oliver Darcy.

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Both the Bills and Bengals are already clinched a playoff spot.

While the cancellation of Monday's game will not affect teams that qualify for the playoffs, it could alter the standings and the teams that host certain games, and the NFL is expected to finalize the necessary adjustments this Friday.

"This has been a very difficult week," NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said Thursday.

"We remain focused on Damar Hamlin's recovery and are heartened by the improvements in her condition, as well as the tremendous outpouring of support and care for Damar and her family from across the country. We are also incredibly grateful for the incredible work of the staff doctor and we commend each and every one of them.

These are the most recent events:

• Hamlin has made "a pretty remarkable recovery":

  Although Hamlin remains in intensive care, he is demonstrating a "good neurological recovery" and is awake and holding hands with his family at the hospital, Pritts said Thursday.

• He has a long way to go:

  "This marks a really good turning point in his ongoing care," Pritts said, but "there are many, many steps still ahead."

• The cause of the cardiac arrest is unknown:

  Tests are underway to determine the cause of the cardiac arrest, Knight said.

  Cardiac arrest occurs as a result of electrical disturbances that cause the heart to suddenly stop beating properly, and death can occur rapidly if immediate help is not provided;

  It is not the same as a heart attack or heart failure.

• Hamlin lost his pulse on the field:

  While surrounded by medical teams on the field, Hamlin lost his pulse and had to be administered CPR and defibrillation while fans and teammates watched, Knight said.

  He was then intubated in the ambulance and arrived at the hospital 30 to 45 minutes after collapsing, the doctor added.

• The Bills are back on the field:

  The team met on Wednesday and held its first full practice of the week on Thursday in preparation for facing the Patriots on Sunday.

  The team has been receiving "incremental updates" from medical staff as well as Bills general manager Brandon Beane and head athletic trainer Nate Breske who stayed in Cincinnati, coach Sean McDermott said.

  "I think the fact that we keep hearing good news about Damar just keeps us pushing forward," quarterback Josh Allen told reporters Thursday.

• "People will be changed forever":

  The players have had "some very open and honest and insightful conversations" since their teammate was hospitalized Monday, Allen said.

  "I think putting that helmet back on was a really good thing for our team," he said of returning to training, "...but I'd be lying if I didn't tell you, some people are going to be changed forever after being on the field and witness that and feel those emotions."

The news of Hamlin's awakening was met with a flurry of messages of support and relief from players across the NFL.

Since his collapse, fans have paid tribute to the player, donating more than $7 million to his charity fundraiser and making his jersey the most-purchased athlete's jersey at sportswear retailer Fanatics, a company spokesperson said. .

• OPINION |

  The question that we cannot avoid after what happened to Damar Hamlin

Hamlin's family and Allen have pushed back online criticism of Cincinnati Bengals catcher Tee Higgins, who collided with Hamlin moments before he collapsed.

The family spokesman has said that Higgins has reached out and "supported him."

"I hope he's relieved today," Allen said of Higgins while speaking to reporters on Thursday.

"It's a football move, and I hope they don't throw it in his face, because there's nothing else he could have done in that situation."

Praise to the medical staff for their quick response

Doctors and Bills team members have repeatedly applauded the immediate performance of medical personnel who rushed to Hamlin just seconds after he collapsed.

Assistant track coach Denny Kellington performed CPR on Hamlin as he lay on the field, Bills offensive lineman Dion Dawkins tweeted Thursday.

The trainer saved Hamlin's life, McDermott said Thursday.

"As they say, practice pays off and it did in this case," the coach said at Thursday's post-practice news conference dedicated to Hamlin.

"But then again, the context of it, for an assistant to find himself in that position and the need to take the action that he did and step up and take over like he did—and there were others in the field as well. — he's nothing short of incredible and (the) courage he had, we're talking about a true leader, a true hero, in saving Damar's life."

• Doctors Reveal Damar Hamlin's First Question Upon Waking Up Days After Collapsing In An NFL Game

Medical personnel working on the band when Hamlin collapsed called everyone for help, according to audio obtained by CNN.

"I don't like how it went down" and "we're going to need everyone," they said.

The NFL's chief medical officer, Dr. Allen Sills, attributed the rapid medical response Wednesday to a "60-minute meeting" held between medical teams and NFL officials before each game to identify the location of the medical teams and nearby medical centers, and establishing a chain of command in an emergency, among other things.

The NFL explains the factors considered to cancel the game

In Thursday's announcement of the official cancellation of the Bills-Bengals game that was called off following Hamlin's collapse, the NFL detailed its decision-making, including that the outcome of the game would have no impact on the team's standings. teams for the playoffs.

The Bills and Bengals have already clinched a playoff berth, but are vying for a higher berth in the American Football Conference postseason.

• The NFL officially cancels the game between the Buffalo Bills and the Cincinnati Bengals after the collapse of Damar Hamlin

The decision to resume or resume the game would also have forced the league to postpone the start of the playoffs for a week, explains the NFL statement, a measure that would have affected all 14 qualified teams.

Lastly, making the decision before Week 18 still allows all clubs to know their playoff chances before their final game of the regular season, the league said.

-- David Close, Joe Sutton, Stephen Priest, Sara Smart, Sharif Paget, Jamiel Lynch, Jacob Lev, Homero De la Fuente, Jason Hanna, Jacqueline Howard and Amanda Watts contributed reporting.

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