NFL: Damar Hamlin plays first regular season game since suffering cardiac arrest
- Published
'It was everything to me' - Hamlin on return to NFL after cardiac arrest
NFL 2023 regular season |
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Dates: 7 September 2023 - 7 January 2024 |
BBC coverage: Listen to live commentary on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra and the BBC Sport website every Sunday, with New England Patriots v Dallas Cowboys on 1 October (from 22:00 BST) |
Damar Hamlin completed his NFL return in the Buffalo Bills' 48-20 victory over the Miami Dolphins, nine months after suffering a cardiac arrest.
The Bills safety collapsed after making a tackle in a game on 2 January and had to be resuscitated on the field.
After being discharged from hospital on 11 January, the 25-year-old was cleared to play again in April and appeared during the Bills' pre-season games.
And on Sunday he played in his first regular season game since his injury.
Before the game, Hamlin was the last Bills player out of the tunnel and he ran the length of the field with his arms spread before removing his helmet and standing in front of the home crowd.
He was part of the Bills' kick-off return unit as they ended Miami's winning start to the season.
"The energy from the fans was amazing, but just being out there with my team-mates, having my dad in the stands, I felt amazing," said Hamlin.
"Everybody on the team has given me confidence this week - positive energy, positive everything all week long."
Hamlin was not selected for Buffalo's first three games of the season but was called up for this fixture after fellow safety Jordan Poyer was ruled out with a knee injury.
He could now be part of the Bills' squad when they travel to London to face the Jacksonville Jaguars at Tottenham next Sunday.
Hamlin's team-mates and opponents huddled around him as he received life-saving treatment during the game at the Cincinnati Bengals in January.
Several players were seen visibly distressed, with many kneeling to pray and some in tears, and the game was abandoned and not replayed after Hamlin was taken to hospital.
There was widespread support from the sporting world after Hamlin's collapse and more than $10m (£8.2m) was donated, external to a foundation he had set up while playing in college.
In February, Hamlin said he hoped to return to football "eventually" and was still processing the trauma of the incident.
'Stories like that are just inspirational'
Hamlin, who was a sixth-round draft pick by the Bills in 2021, played college football at the University of Pittsburgh.
Fellow safety Andre Cisco, who earlier on Sunday helped the Jacksonville Jaguars beat the Atlanta Falcons at Wembley, told BBC Sport: "I played [against] Damar every year in college, we're cordial off the field and that's awesome for him.
"I've been praying for him ever since the incident happened. Stories like that in the league are just inspirational - keep fighting, no matter what you're going through."