Just days after Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin suffered cardiac arrest following a tackle, the NFL was back in action for Week 18’s slate of games. And across the league, the support for Hamlin’s continued recovery was truly great to see.
But one celebration, in particular, was disappointing from Steelers linebacker Alex Highsmith.
Following a fourth-quarter sack of Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson, Highsmith remained flat on the ground as a teammate (the replay angle obscured who the teammate was) mockingly performed CPR on him. That couldn’t have been an oversight, considering how Hamlin’s life was saved thanks in part to the nine minutes of CPR performed on the field in Cincinnati.
Classless Steelers with the CPR celebration pic.twitter.com/PT0hSPgwGN
— Ben Tylka (@tylkabm) January 8, 2023
The entire celebration had fans asking Highsmith — who tweeted a prayer for Hamlin — for an explanation. Like, he should have realized right away that it was a terrible idea.
What's with the celebration? Care to explain the thought process during the CPR celebration?
— King Rayzor Ray (@KingRayzorRay) January 9, 2023
Other fans called the Steelers classless for the entire sequence.