Damar Hamlin: 5 Things About NFL Player Cleared To Play Football After Cardiac Arrest
More than three months following Damar Hamlin’s collapse on the field after suffering cardiac arrest, the Buffalo Bill ssafety has been cleared to play football again.
- Damar Hamlin, who plays for the Buffalo Bills, collapsed during the team’s Jan. 2, 2023 game against the Cincinnati Bengals.
- The safety tackled another player, and although he initially stood up, he fell to the ground on the field and suffered cardiac arrest.
- Damar was released from the University of Cincinnati Medical Center on Jan. 9, 2023, and transferred to Buffalo General hospital where he was monitored before being released on Jan. 11, 2023.
- On April 18, 2023, it was confirmed that Damar had been cleared to return to the field once again.
Damar Hamlin has been cleared to play football again after going into cardiac arrest while playing for the Buffalo Bills on Jan. 2, 2023. The Buffalo Bills manager, Brandon Beane, confirmed the news during an April 18 press conference. “He’s fully cleared, he’s here and he is of the mindset,” Brandon revealed. “He’s in a great head space to come back and make his return.” The GM also revealed that Damar had been participating in voluntary workouts with the Bills throughout the week of April 18.
Per GM Brandon Beane, Damar Hamlin has been cleared to resume full football activities.@HamlinIsland is in Buffalo and in a great headspace. ❤️💙 pic.twitter.com/wa2ZfGm8mX
— Buffalo Bills (@BuffaloBills) April 18, 2023
Damar has seen multiple specialists in the months since his collapse on the field, and Brandon said that all of them are in agreement that he’s ready to play again. However, the Buffalo Bills coach, Sean McDermott, added that he knows the road won’t be easy for Damar. “He’s moving forward one step at a time here,” McDermott said. “He’s been cleared from a physical standpoint, and we’ll provide all the mental health help we can from a mind, body and spirit standpoint.”
The Jan. 2, 2023, NFL game between the Buffalo Bills and Cincinnati Bengals came to a grinding halt after Damar collapsed on the field. Mid-way through the first quarter, Damar tackled Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins, but upon rising up from the hit, he fell to the ground unconscious, as reported by ESPN. Learn more about the incident and Damar below:
1. What Happened To Damar Hamlin?
Bills safety Damar Hamlin remained down on the field after a scary hit.
According to the broadcast, medical personnel have administered CPR. pic.twitter.com/JKCWmfzaLT
— ESPN (@espn) January 3, 2023
Damar fell after tackling wide receiver Tee Higgins at 8:55 pm, with 5:38 remaining in the first quarter. Though he initially seemed to be fine, he then collapsed to the turf unconscious. He was down on the field for over 9 minutes, during which time he was administered CPR and given oxygen. Around 16 minutes after the injury, he was taken to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center’s level 1 trauma center at 9:25 pm, per ESPN.
Game play was temporarily suspended at 9:18 pm before the game was officially postponed by the league at 10:01 pm EST. Not long after, the NFL revealed that Damar was in “critical condition” in a statement. The Buffalo Bills also provided an update about Damar’s condition on Twitter. “Damar Hamlin suffered a cardiac arrest following a hit in our game versus the Bengals,” the team wrote. “His heartbeat was restored on the field and he was transferred to the UC Medical Center for further testing and treatment. He is currently sedated and listed in critical condition.”
2. How Long Was Damar In The Hospital?
One week after the incident, Damar was officially released from the University of Cincinnati Medical Center on Jan. 9, 2023, and later transferred to Buffalo General hospital where he began undergoing more testing, per the official NFL website. One of the athlete’s doctors, Dr. William Knight, released the following statement after the transfer: “I traveled with him to the airport this morning with our UC Health air care and local care crew, including teammates that were with us on the field when Damar Hamlin collapsed,” Dr. Knight began. “He landed safely and, as standard with anybody who has gone through what he’s gone through this past week and certainly after flying on a plane, he’s going to be observed and monitored to ensure that there’s no impact on the flight of his condition or on his lungs.”
The medical provider added that Damar was on the road to recovery and doing well at the time. “Dr. [Timothy] Pritts and I have spoken extensively with his air team in Buffalo, and I can confirm that he’s doing well and this is the beginning of the next stage of his recovery,” he continued. “Since our last update to you, Damar Hamlin has met a number of key milestones on his journey to recovery.”
Just two days after being transferred, Damar was approved to safely leave the Buffalo General Medical Center on Wednesday, January 11. Critical care physician Jamie Nadler, MD released a statement saying that he showed signs of improvement. “We have completed a series of tests and evaluations, and in consultation with the team physicians, we are confident that Damar can be safely discharged to continue his rehabilitation at home and with the Bills,” he said.
Damar also took to Twitter on Jan. 8 and 9th to update his fans on this condition and share his gratitude for the support. “Grateful for the awesome care I received at UCMC. Happy to be back in Buffalo. The docs and nurses at Buffalo General have already made me feel at home!”, he tweeted on Jan. 9. He also added, “Headed home to Buffalo today with a lot of love on my heart. Watching the world come together around me on Sunday was truly an amazing feeling. The same love you all have shown me is the same love that I plan to put back into the world and more. Bigger than football!”
3. How Long Has Damar Hamlin Been In The NFL?
Damar was drafted by the Buffalo Bills in the sixth round of the 2021 NFL Draft, putting him at 212th overall. He signed his four-year rookie contract with Buffalo on May 21, 2021. After playing a reserve role his rookie season, Damar became one of the Bills’ starting safeties following Micah Hyde’s season-ending neck injury during week 2. This season he’d played 16 games, recorded 91 tackles, and 1.5 sacks.
4. Where Is Damar Hamlin From?
Damar grew up in McKees Rocks, Pennsylvania, and attended Pittsburgh Central Catholic. During his high school career, he was named first-team All-State and the Class AAAA Defensive Player of the Year.
He went on to play for University of Pittsburgh, where as a late-debuting freshman player recorded 41 tackles with one interception in nine games played. After three strong years of play, he was named a team captain going into his final season.
5. Damar Founded His Own Charity
After getting drafted, Damar focused on how he could help his community. During his first season, he founded the Chasing M’s Foundation.
In a GoFundMe for the project, reported by ABC 7, he wrote, “As I embark on my journey to the NFL, I will never forget where I come from and I am committed to using my platform to positively impact the community that raised me. I created The Chasing M’s Foundation as a vehicle that will allow me to deliver that impact.” The foundation’s inaugural project was a holiday toy drive that raised over $390k.