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By Madeline Halpert
BBC News, New York
US National Football League player Damar Hamlin has shown "remarkable improvement" over the last 24 hours and is "neurologically intact", his team said on Thursday.
The Buffalo Bills star suffered a cardiac arrest on the field during a Monday night game in Cincinnati.
Hamlin has been in the intensive care unit since he was taken off the field after collapsing.
The player remains "critically ill", his team said.
But according to the doctors treating him at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center, Hamlin has "demonstrated that he appears to be neurologically intact", the Bills said in the latest update.
"His lungs continue to heal and he is making steady progress," the team added. "We are grateful for the love and support we have received."
Shortly before Hamlin's team issued the latest statement on Thursday, his teammate Kaiir Elam wrote in a tweet: "Our boy is doing better, awake and showing more signs of improvement."
"Keep the prayers coming please," he added.
His agent, Ron Butler, confirmed to CNN that Hamlin was awake and had been holding hands with his family in the hospital.
Hamlin suffered a cardiac arrest during the primetime game after tackling Cincinnati Bengals receiver Tee Higgins. He fell on his back to the ground after the collision.
He received over 30 minutes of on-the-field medical care, during which he was resuscitated once, according to the player's friend and marketing agent Jordon Rooney.
Support for the second-year Bills player has poured in since the accident.
A GoFundMe page for a toy drive launched by Hamlin had amassed more than $7m (£5.87m) as of Thursday morning.