The NFL is on its way to an 18-game regular season. That much is certain. But longtime NFL voice Chris Berman believes it would already be here by now were it not for a fateful night in January 2023 involving Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin.<\/p>\n
The Bills were playing in Cincinnati on\u00a0Monday Night Football\u00a0against the Cincinnati Bengals. After Hamlin tackled Tee Higgins, he collapsed on the field<\/a>, suffering cardiac arrest. The game was postponed and eventually canceled. Thankfully, Hamlin was able to survive after his heartbeat was restored on the field and returned to play for the Bills for the next season and is still a member of their roster.<\/p>\n It was one of the most surreal nights in NFL history and a moment where the game took a backseat to a very real-life emergency situation. But according to Chris Berman, it also had a lasting impact on the NFL and its revenue pursuit.<\/p>\n Berman sat down for an interview with CNBC\u2019s Alex Sherman<\/a> when the topic turned to the NFL\u2019s expanded schedule. The league is not only exploring adding an 18th regular season game, but also a greatly expanded international calendar<\/a> where every team may eventually play one game outside the United States each year. Asked if the NFL is pushing too far, Berman stated that NFL commissioner Roger Goodell is only doing his job in making the owners as much money as they possibly can.<\/p>\n \u201cDo I think that\u2019s the case? Roger\u2019s goal is from all the owners, let\u2019s make as much money as we can. That\u2019s also fair. It\u2019s his mandate. They pay him really well. He\u2019s a great guy, I\u2019ve known him long before he was that and he\u2019s a regular guy,\u201d Berman said.<\/p>\n He then shared his belief that the 18-game season would be a reality by now were it not for the Hamlin incident. And that his cardiac arrest episode slowed the NFL\u2019s push to put more games on the calendar for fear of a potential backlash.<\/p>\n \u201cThe 18 games, ok, I don\u2019t know this for a fact. We might have seen it by now had Damar Hamlin not almost passed away on the field,\u201d Berman added. \u201cThat was a quiet down. Because they were already talking. None of those things get accomplished unless you have three or four years of, \u2018we gotta get the players, let\u2019s redo our deal.\u2019 Now the contract runs out in \u201930 or \u201931 so at this point it\u2019s ok, they had hoped to get it in, I think, by now. But after that, the public outcry, you want them to play more games? The NFL\u2019s not blind. Those optics would have been horrible. Do I know this for a fact? No. This is Chris Berman, observer. Hmm. Let\u2019s quiet it down for a couple years so now it\u2019s back.\u201d<\/p>\n