Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin was involved in one of the scariest situations we’ve ever seen on a football field back on Jan. 2 against the Cincinnati Bengals.
The former sixth-round pick out of Pittsburgh collapsed in the first quarter of the game after making a tackle on Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins. Hamlin, 24, immediately fell to the turf inside inside Paycor Stadium.
As an ambulance was brough on to the field, Hamlin suffered from cardiac arrest. Doctors and trainers had to administer CPR and used a defibrillator on the field to resuscitate Hamlin after his heart stopped beating. At that point, all focus was on Hamlin’s health as players on both sides stood around in absolute shock.
A little over a month after this incident, Hamlin’s recovery has been something to behold. He was even on hand for Buffalo’s playoff game against the aforementioned Bengals three weeks later.
We now have an update on Hamlin’s status. To say it’s great news would be an understatement.
“I guarantee you that Damar Hamlin will play professional football again,” Dr. Thom Mayer said recently, via CNN.com.
Dr. Mayer is the NFL Players’ Association’s medical director and has a built-in understanding of what’s happening with Hamlin behind the scenes. If he believes the safety will play again, we should listen.
Related: Bills’ Damar Hamlin teams up with AHA on CPR challenge
Damar Hamlin’s miraculous recovery and a potential return to the NFL
Having just earned the NFL’s Alan Page Award for his work in the community, Hamlin recently opened up about his recovery from cardiac arrest and what the support from those around the world means to him.
“To the entire Bills organization and my brothers who made it a priority to lift me up spiritually, mentally, and in every way possible, reaching out every day seeing how I was doing, calling texting, just checking up on me no matter the situation,” Hamlin said. “I’m proud to be a part of this team, I’m proud to be able to call you guys my brothers.
To the city of Cincinnati, the Bengals, and the entire NFL, just for putting team allegiance aside to root for one kid’s life, and the humanity of a player that’s wearing Buffalo blue. You put humanity above team loyalty, you showed the world unity over division. I’m not surprised by it but I’m deeply grateful, and I will be forever thankful and indebted to that.”
Damar Hamlin’s first public statement after Jan. 2 incident
A native of Pennsylvania, Hamlin was the 212th pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. He had started 13 games in 2022 before the aforementioned incent in January, recording 91 tackles in the process.
Whether it’s next season or shortly thereafter, it will be an absolutely surreal scene to watch him put on that helmet and suit up with the Bills again. No one could have envisioned that after what we saw on Jan. 2. That’s for sure.