Matt Eberflus, Bears players share emotional reactions to Damar Hamlin

Eberflus opened his press conference by sharing his thoughts and prayers about Hamlin and his family.

“First of all our prayers to Damar Hamlin and the Bills,” Eberflus said, via ChicagoBears.com. “Certainly thinking about him and his family and his teammates, his coaches. Reached out to Sean McDermott and told him that in our team meeting today we’re gonna have Teddy, our pastor, come in and say a prayer, a focused prayer on Damar and his health. We did that today at the team meeting.”

Eberflus also discussed the mental health resources available for players.

“[It] hits home to the player, to the individual player, and also it hits home to their loved ones, you know the loved ones that care about them,” Eberflus said. “We’re very mindful of that. We’ve been mindful of that since that tragic incident on Monday Night Football. Been talking to the players ever since that. Had a leadership council meeting this morning to have all of those guys in there together and you can certainly see the impact of that.”

While many Bears players don’t know Hamlin well, Eberflus said it doesn’t change the fact that it’s something that hits close to home for these players.

“The guy’s fighting for his life right now,” Eberflus said. “Then they see that reflection in the mirror. I think that’s a little bit frightening. I think they have to wrap their brain around the violent game they do play and the risk they take every single week. These guys are human, and they have parents and loved ones and wives and aunts and uncles that love them just like any other family. So they’re not robots out there. I think that human side of it really came out in that leadership council meeting today.”