Damar Hamlin says there was nothing out of the ordinary about his hit on Tua Tagovailoa that resulted in a concussion ... telling the media after the game he was simply trying to make a "routine tackle" -- and his thoughts are now with the Miami Dolphins quarterback.
The Buffalo Bills safety broke down the collision to The Athletic's Tim Graham after the Bills' 31-10 win on "Thursday Night Football" ... a play that resulted in Tua being ruled out of the game in the third quarter.
Tua committed to this run to pick up the first down and got carried away and didn’t know how to protect himself
— Warren Sharp (@SharpFootball) September 13, 2024
Literally just ran right into Damar Hamlin who didn’t look like he was set to deliver a hard hit
Tua hit Damar more than Damar hit Tua pic.twitter.com/cS2aXEIE9H
As we previously reported, Tua -- the fifth overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft -- was rushing for a first down ... but instead of sliding, he went for more yards and lowered his helmet when Hamlin moved in for the stop.
"I was just trying to make a routine tackle," Hamlin said, "trying to get them off the field on fourth down."
Tua has a history of terrifying concussions in his short NFL career ... and Hamlin said he will pray for the QB.
Of course, Hamlin had his own terrifying experience on the field ... in 2022, the 26-year-old collapsed and was motionless during a Week 17 game against the Bengals after a tackle on Tee Higgins -- which was later confirmed to be a result of commotio cordis.
Hamlin -- the Bills' sixth-round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft -- was cleared to return to play in April 2023.
Ambulance is now out on the field. Here is the play Damar Hamlin was injured on. Scary sight; even scarier seeing the players' reaction to his injury. pic.twitter.com/UsqxSAAQDa
— Sidelines Sports Network™ (@Sidelines_SN) January 3, 2023
When it comes to Tua, Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel said Friday he is not thinking about the athlete's on-field future ... as "timelines give anxiety."
"The best thing I can do is not assess what this means from a football standpoint."