Patriots cancel Tuesday media availability in light of Damar Hamlin’s in-game collapse

With Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin in critical condition following a cardiac arrest on Monday Night Football, the New England Patriots have decided to cancel their media availability on Tuesday.

Three assistant coaches were originally scheduled to speak with reporters via Zoom on 11 a.m. ET: wide receivers coach Ross Douglas, linebackers coach Jerod Mayo, and special teams coordinator Cam Achord. However, the team’s media department announced that the session would not take place in light of recent events.

The next planned availability is a press conference with head coach Bill Belichick on Wednesday at noon. It remains to be seen whether or not that session at Gillette Stadium — or the team’s practice later that day — will take place.

The Patriots are scheduled to play in Buffalo this Sunday at 1 p.m. in a game with serious playoff implications for both teams. However, given Hamlin’s in-game collapse and the subsequent postponement of the Bills’ game against the Cincinnati Bengals the situation is a fluid one and there is no guarantee that the contest will take place as planned.

Hamlin collapsed in the first quarter of Monday’s game following a routine pass play. He remained on the ground for 16 minutes and had to receive CPR before being transported to a nearby Cincinnati hospital.