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Fans contribute more than $3M to Damar Hamlin charity toy drive

Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott takes a knee is as Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin is tended to on the field following a collision in the first quarter of a Week 17 NFL game against the Cincinnati Bengals, Monday, Jan. 2, 2023, at Paycor Stadium in Cincinnati. Play was suspended.

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Credit: Kareem Elgazzar / USA TODAY NETWORK

Fans donated more than $3 million to a charity toy drive hosted by Damar Hamlin and Chasing M’s Foundation.

Hamlin remained in critical condition at University of Cincinnati Medical Center on Tuesday. A defensive back for the Buffalo Bills, Hamlin collapsed on the field due to cardiac arrest in Monday night’s game against the Cincinnati Bengals.

Not long after Hamlin was transported by ambulance, fans began to share the Go Fund Me page established by the safety when he played collegiately at Pittsburgh to help provide toys to children during the pandemic.

Go Fund Me verified the page Tuesday morning and said Hamlin’s initial goal of $2,500 was far exceeded by nearly 130,000 donations in the 10 hours after he collapsed on the field.

At 10:30 p.m. ET on Monday, the fund was more than $1 million. By sunrise in Cincinnati, donations exceeded $3.3 million.

Hamlin, 24, has been described by teammates as “generous, genuine and caring.”

He was accompanied to the hospital by his mother, who was in attendance at the Monday primetime game.

Hamlin’s marketing representative, Jordon Rooney, tweeted late Monday: “Update on Damar: His vitals are back to normal and they have put him to sleep to put a breathing tube down his throat. They are currently running tests. We will provide updates as we have them.”

Rooney appeared on “Good Morning America” on Tuesday to share another update.

“The family is in good spirits, we’re just taking it minute by minute,” Rooney said. “His family is strong, supportive. Obviously, they are worried. Damar is very close with his family.”

Rooney asked that fans give the Hamlin family privacy at this time.

–Field Level Media

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