Bengals receiver Tee Higgins said that he has been in contact with the mother of Bills safety Damar Hamlin, Nina, in the wake of her son’s cardiac arrest during Monday night’s game in Cincinnati. He added that he was also relieved to hear about Hamlin’s improving condition in the days since the incident.

Hamlin collapsed following a routine tackle of Higgins during the first quarter in Cincinnati, was given CPR by a member of the Bills’ training staff and had his heartbeat restored on the field before being taken by ambulance to University of Cincinnati Medical Center, where he remains in intensive care.

“I’m in a good place right now,” Higgins said after Bengals practice Thursday in his first public comments since the play.

“Damar’s mom hit me, texted me this morning, and told me about everything and it made me feel even more at home. I really appreciate them, just hearing from them and them having my back as well. So yeah, feels good.”

Fellow Bengals receiver Tyler Boyd said he’s been in touch with Higgins over the last few days as well and has tried to be supportive.

“Tee didn’t purposely do that; it could’ve gone the other way. It’s football,” Boyd said Thursday. “But for guys to criticize Tee for hitting him, what could he have done?

“He feels super s–tty about it … that’s a traumatic injury. That’ll mess you up on the inside, because he knows that could’ve went either way. But Tee’s a level-headed guy and he understands what it takes to just get himself together. I think he probably feels a little better now that [Hamlin] is OK. That’s the best thing you can start to heal from, once you hear news like that.”

Members of Hamlin’s family were “frustrated” and “mad” at accusations on social media directed at Higgins in the aftermath of the tackle, despite the play being a clean one. The strange criticism also extended to ESPN analyst and former NFL player Bart Scott, who blamed Higgins for lowering his helmet. Others quickly came to Higgins’ defense, however, including Cincinnati quarterback Joe Burrow and Dallas Cowboys linebacker Micah Parsons, who blasted Scott for his remarks.

Bills quarterback Josh Allen, who met with the media on Thursday, likewise pointed out that Higgins did nothing wrong on what he called a football play.

Jordon Rooney, a friend and marketing representative for Hamlin who’s been speaking on behalf of the family, also noted earlier this week that Higgins had reached out to the family “multiple times” and that he’s gone “above and beyond to show that he’s supportive.”

Meanwhile, the Bills on Thursday morning said that Hamlin is “neurologically intact” and has “shown remarkable improvement over the past 24 hours.”

“We had significant concern about him after the injury and after the event that happened on the field. But he is making substantial progress,” Dr. Timothy Pritts, a professor in the department of surgery at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, said at a news conference on Thursday. “As of this morning, he is beginning to awaken, and it appears that his neurological condition and function is intact.”

Doctors also said that Hamlin is able to move his hands and feet and has been communicating by writing messages on a pad, with the 24-year-old asking in writing whether the Bills had won the game.

Despite that progression, though, the 23-year-old Higgins admitted the last few days have been difficult.

“That’s something that, it’s hard to forget about,” he said. “But at the end of the day we are professional football players, we do have job to do and just have gotta shift your focus and focus on the Ravens.”

The NFL decided on Thursday that the Bills-Bengals game that was postponed following Hamlin’s collapse will not be resumed. The Bengals (11-4) will host the Ravens (10-6) Sunday at 1 p.m. ET.