Texans’ Lovie Smith on Damar Hamlin: ‘Our game can be violent .. I’m a believer, so I believe in prayer. Life is bigger than football. Life is precious’

In a somber, emotional tone, Texans coach Lovie Smith shared his feelings and the emotions of his players in the wake of Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin’s life-threatening cardiac arrest Monday night.

The Texans returned to their routine Wednesday, doing their best to get back to playing the game they love, but there is nothing routine or ordinary about the scary events of Monday night. And Smith and quarterback Davis Mills acknowledged how difficult these moments are as coaches and players involved in a sport that can be fraught with danger. The Texans held a team meeting Wednesday morning that included a mental health profession, Smith and general manager Nick Caserio with the overarching theme that the organization is there to support them and embrace them during this difficult time.

“Our game can be violent, it’s a contact sport, injuries happen, but you assume an injury like that won’t happen,” Smith said. “I don’t know Damar, but I think we all feel like we do when you’re part of this fraternity. I saw natural emotion on how much people care. We’re going to get through this together. I’m a believe, so I believe in prayer.

“How we get through it, times like this, you see how close you are. It’s a family here. We do have that. Guys genuinely care. It happened Monday. There’s a lot of tough days ahead. Just the emotions you feel, letting our guys know whatever you’re feeling, it’s okay. I talked to them, our general manager Nick Caserio talked to them, letting them know, ‘We’re here to support you.’

Hamlin remains in an intensive care unit in critical condition with signs of improvement emphasized Tuesday and Wednesday after his heart was restarted with a defibrillator and CPR as they try to get him to be able to breathe without the help of a ventilator. He is currently at a 50-percent breathing level, according to his family spokesman.

Several Texans have close connections to Hamlin, including rookie defensive tackle Kurt Hinish, a teammate at Central Catholic in Pittsburgh, defensive ends Mario Addison and Jerry Hughes, his teammates last season in Buffalo when the sixth-round draft pick was a rookie, and center Jimmy Morrissey, his teammate at Pitt for five seasons.

Hinish said his ‘heart dropped,’ when he watched the collision and Hamlin’s collapse Monday night after tackling Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins.

“He’s a great football player, but an even better person,” Hinish said. “If I could see anyone coming out on the other side of this, it would be him. It’s important for everyone to know the type of person Damar is.”

Texans defensive line coach Jacques Cesaire was the Bills’ assistant defensive line coach during Hamlin’s rookie season.

“Great guy who loves the game of football,” Smith said of the sentiments shared by those who know Hamlin well. “The guys talked about what a great teammate he was. Sixth-round pick, odds against him, he got a chance to play and he was playing outstanding football for the Bills. These relationships, life is bigger than football.”

Smith is friends with several Bills assistant coaches, including defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier and defensive line coach Eric Washington.

“You feel their pain,” he said.

Morrissey, Hamlin’s college teammate, said it’s an emotional time. He’s known Hamlin since he was a senior in high school and was teammates with him for five seasons.

“He’s a great guy, comes from a great family, great family man,” Morrissey said. “He’s a great competitor, loves to play football. He’s just a great guy, a tragic thing happened. I did see it live, I was watching at my apartment with Charlie Heck. It was scary. At first, I thought it was just a concussion. What really freaked me out was the sideline reaction. I had never seen anything like that before. It was really scary to watch live.

“Just me, personally, I feel terrible for him and his family,” Morrissey said. “I saw his mom rode with him in the ambulance. I couldn’t imagine my mom having to go through something like that. I know his mom and dad. They traveled to all the games at Pitt. They were always around. It’s heartbreaking. Damar is a great guy. It’s really sad.”

Texans quarterback Davis Mills said it was hard to watch what happened to Hamlin.

“It’s extremely tough, the whole situation that’s going on,” Mills said. “Watching it as a player, injuries are always going to happen, but the extent of them and how extreme the whole situation is, you never want to see something like that happen. It’s tough for both teams to have to go through like that. Thoughts and prayers to Damar and his family and the whole Bills organization.”

The Texans and the NFL and NFL Players Association are providing mental health resources to help players through this trying time.

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“Myself, personally, I’m fine,” Morrissey said. “My sympathies are with the family and him. I feel bad for him. I think the Texans and the NFL are doing a great job of handling the situation. He’s like a hero in Pittsburgh. He always has been.”

The Texans are scheduled to play a road game Sunday against the Indianapolis Colts, and players are readying to play again.

“The guys want to play, too,” Smith said. “Getting back into as much of a normal routine is a part of it. Right now, we’re going about it as if there’s going to be a game this week. Sometimes, bad things happen. We try to make it where they’re as safe as possible.

“You play each down like it’s your last. I don’t take life for granted. Just being able to live a full life each day, appreciating what we have here. We have a bunch of special men who genuinely care for each other. Life is precious. Eventually, football will be played. Some freak things can happen. I’m going to go with what our leaders tell us. I know there’s risk involved.”

The Texans donated $10,003 to Hamlin’s GoFundMe page, which has raised more than $6 million.

“It shows you the good in our country,” Smith said. “Our organization, we’ve gone through some tough times. Our players have stepped up, gone through tragic things.”