NFL legend Michael Irvin on Damar Hamlin: 'You may lose a limb, but you never thought you would lose a life'

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Look how a sports tragedy has brought people together: Jim Gray

Fox News contributor and sportscaster Jim Gray discusses how the NFL handled the collapse of Bills' safety Damar Hamlin on 'Fox News @ Night.' 

NFL legend Michael Irvin opened up about his reaction to the medical emergency Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin suffered in Monday night’s game against the Cincinnati Bengals.

Irvin appeared on 95.7 The Game in San Francisco on Tuesday and talked about how hard it was to watch the faces of the Bills and Cincinnati Bengals players who were emotional following the incident. Hamlin had to have his heartbeat restored on the field after suffering a cardiac arrest.

"I saw the faces of all the guys around. It told me how deep that moment was. I drew back on that, and I was like, wow," the former Dallas Cowboys wide receiver said. "It was just so hard to watch…What is so engrained is that you take the blow and keep moving. Whatever it is. Even at practice … You kind of get conditioned to it, but this was something different. You have to resuscitate someone on the football field. Even though you’re trained to move on, there’s no way you could’ve gone on playing that game. They did the right thing so far."

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Hall of Fame Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Michael Irvin watches the game against the Seattle Seahawks and the Los Angeles Rams at CenturyLink Field on Oct. 3, 2019 in Seattle. (Alika Jenner/Getty Images)

Irvin also recalled a moment during his career when he thought he was paralyzed during a game against the Philadelphia Eagles.

"Deion Sanders and I were talking about that afterward. He said, ‘When we were looking at you, we saw fear in your eyes that we’ve never seen.' I didn’t know you saw fear in my eyes. It’s such a difficult thing. When you go on the field, you know there’s a possibility of those things happening.

"What we witnessed last night … You may lose a limb, but you never thought you would lose a life."

Hamlin’s family offered another update to his condition late Tuesday night.

A sign shows support for Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin outside Highmark Stadium on Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2023, in Orchard Park, New York. (AP Photo/Joshua Bessex)

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Dorian Glenn, Hamlin’s uncle, told the NFL Network that the Bills player remained in intensive care but has improved to 50% oxygen on a ventilator – he had previously been on 100%.

"Right now, they got him on a ventilator, so they’re trying to get him to breathe on his own," Glenn told the network. "So, we’re just kind of taking it day by day. Still in the ICU. They have him sedated, so just continue to administer the medical treatment that they’ve been doing."

Glenn added, "Once he gets out of ICU, I'll feel better myself."

Buffalo Bills defensive back Damar Hamlin, #3, leaves the field after an NFL football game against the New England Patriots, Thursday, Dec. 1, 2022, in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (AP Photo/Greg M. Cooper, File)

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In the wake of the scary incident, fans have donated more than $5 million to Hamlin's charity toy drive fund — created in 2020, it had an initial goal of $2,500. Retailer Fanatics also said that all proceeds from Hamlin's jersey sales, which have skyrocketed in the last 24 hours, will all go to the foundation.

Fox News’ Ryan Morik contributed to this report.