The latest updates on the condition of Bills safety Damar Hamlin are positive.

According to ESPN’s Coley Harvey, who spoke with Hamlin’s family friend and business partner Jordon Rooney, doctors recently “got promising readings that they had been hoping to see by [Wednesday] morning.” Harvey added that Rooney didn’t get into details but “progress appears to be made.” This follows up multiple prior reports that Hamlin was relying less on a ventilator for breathing than he was initially.

Hamlin suffered a cardiac arrest during the Bills’ Monday night game against the Bengals, after making a tackle against wide receiver Tee Higgins. Medical professionals reportedly used CPR and a defibrillator to resuscitate him on the field, and he was soon taken to UC Medical Center in Cincinnati.

According to Harvey, Hamlin remains sedated and listed in critical condition at the hospital. Rooney made sure to mention to him that Hamlin “still has a long way to go in his recovery,” but “optimism remains high” among his family.

It remains unclear what exactly caused Hamlin’s cardiac arrest, but multiple doctors and medical professionals have speculated that it was an instance of commotio cordis, in which blunt force trauma to the chest area causes an arrhythmia in the heart. It doesn’t require an extreme level of force to take place. Commotio cordis is a rare event, and more common among athletes age 8-18 in sports using projectiles such as baseball, hockey, and lacrosse, according to the Korey Stringer Institute.

However, it’s not unprecedented among pro athletes in their 20s. Hockey Hall of Famer Chris Pronger suffered commotio cordis after being struck in the chest with a puck during a 1998 game, when he was 23 years old. But it remains an exceptionally rare condition, if it was indeed what happened to Hamlin.

Immediate medical intervention is necessary in cases of commotio cordis. According to a 2009 study by the journal Sports Health: A Multidisciplinary Approach, use of resuscitation techniques within three minutes resulted in a 25 percent survival rate, which dropped to three percent of resuscitation was delayed more than three minutes.

The Latest on the Bills and Patriots

As of this writing on Wednesday, the NFL Week 18 schedule remains on track to be played as originally planned, including the Bills’ home matchup against the Patriots.

The Bills announced through their PR team that they will hold meetings and a walkthrough practice on Wednesday, but no media availability. The Patriots followed suit, postponing their own media availabilities to Thursday, including head coach Bill Belichick.

As of Wednesday at noon, the league has not made any major announcements regarding Week 18. They’ve already confirmed that the Bills and Bengals’ game will not be played this week, leaving the status of that contest in question.

For now, much of the attention is understandably turning away from football itself, and focusing on the status of Hamlin and his battle. Tributes have poured in from across the sports world, including the Patriots lighting up Gillette Stadium in honor of Hamlin (pictured above). Vigils were held in both Buffalo and Cincinnati.

Additionally, Hamlin’s charity toy drive for the Chasing M’s Foundation, which originally had a donation goal of $2,500, is up over $6 million on GoFundMe. The Patriots made a donation of $18,003, with the three in honor of Hamlin’s jersey number, and many players across the league have made contributions of their own.

The situation remains fluid for both Hamlin’s health and the status of the Patriots-Bills game, as well as the whole league schedule. Considering the lack of concrete updates or decisions from the league, it’s fair to wonder if major schedule changes are still being discussed.

We’ll do our best to keep you updated on everything as it relates to Hamlin and the situations across the league. Click here for complete National Football League coverage at 985TheSportsHub.com.

Matt Dolloff is a writer and podcaster for 985TheSportsHub.com. Any opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of 98.5 The Sports Hub, Beasley Media Group, or any subsidiaries. Have a news tip, question, or comment for Matt? Yell at him on Twitter @mattdolloff and follow him on Instagram @realmattdolloff. Check out all of Matt’s content here.