‘Unprofessional and disgusting’: Steelers slammed after players celebrated a sack by performing sham CPR on linebacker Alex Highsmith days after Damar Hamlin went into cardiac arrest while playing for the Bills and had to be resuscitated on the field
Football fans were disgusted by a moment in Sunday’s Steelers game when a Pittsburgh player appeared to celebrate a sack from Alex Highsmith by pretending to give him CPR.
The incident came days after Damar Hamlin collapsed while playing for the Buffalo Bills against the Cincinnati Bengals and had to be resuscitated after suffering on-field cardiac arrest.
After Highsmith challenged Deshaun Watson of the Cleveland Browns, he lay on his back to the ground. A teammate was then filmed rushing over to congratulate him before performing a sham chest compression on Highsmith.
The camera angle didn’t clearly show who the player in question was, but Highsmith didn’t seem to find the incident overly amusing and quickly got back to his feet.
The Steelers celebrated a sack by Alex Highsmith with a mock CPR in Sunday’s game.
But football fans watching took notice immediately, and many took to Twitter.
“I’ve lost all respect for this team. If Mike Tomlin doesn’t address this despicable act he will lose my respect too,” one said, while another wrote: “Not a good look Steelers, not even close! Unprofessional and disgusting.”
Another wrote: “What the heck was that CPR celebration from that Steelers player?!”
Another fan said: “Nice to see the Steelers pay tribute and show love to Hamlin by doing a CPR celebration on this sack.”
The CPR celebration has been seen before in football to celebrate a sack, but the timing of it this weekend left many in bad taste.
Earlier this week, four Steelers players volunteered to deliver toys to a daycare where Hamlin’s mother worked. Levi Wallace, Tre Norwood, Terrell Edmunds and Cameron Sutton performed the gesture as a symbol of support.
The NFL came together over the weekend to offer well wishes to Hamlin following Monday’s shocking scenes. The Steelers and Browns gathered in midfield on Sunday to pray for Hamlin — a scene that played out over the final weekend of NFL regular-season games.
Hamlin, 24, has shared the first picture of himself from his hospital bed in Cincinnati
Hamlin himself has shared his first picture on social media from his hospital bed since falling ill, posting a series of t-shirts to raise money for those who have been caring for him.
On Saturday, Hamlin thanked people for the unwavering support he’s received, writing on Instagram: “When you put real love into the world, it comes back to you three times as much.
“The love was overwhelming, but I am grateful for every single person who prayed and reached out for me. We brought the world back together (sic).
“If you know me, you know that this will only make me stronger. On a long way keep on praying for me.’
The Steelers celebrated a 28-14 win on Sunday, but it wasn’t enough to take them to the playoffs. They finish third in the AFC North standings.