Opinion: Bills-Bengals neutral-site criticisms lack key context

Photo by Timothy Ludwig/Getty ImagesThe Buffalo Bills and the Cincinnati Bengals were unable to finish their scheduled Monday Night Football game against one another on January 2, 2023, after Bills safety Damar Hamlin went into cardiac arrest and needed on-field resuscitation to survive.

In the immediate aftermath, NFL talking heads rightfully focused their discourse first and foremost on Hamlin’s health and well-being, with the ramifications of the league calling the suspended game a “no contest” taking a back seat. And, more importantly, much of the initial rhetoric on that latter point had to do with the NFL being in a no-win situation. The NFL lacked a perfect way to resolve all of the…