Heath Update On Buffalo Bills’ Damar Hamlin! Will He Play Pro Football Again?
- Damar Hamlin collapsed on the field during the middle of a game against the Bengals in January after suffering a cardiac arrest.
- Hamlin is expected to play professional football again.
Damar Hamlin was discharged on January 11
On January 9, the UC Medical Center said it was “thrilled and happy to share” that Damar Hamlin had been released from the hospital and was back in Buffalo.
The doctors said in a statement:
“He is doing well and this is the next stage of his recovery.”
After being transferred from a Cincinnati facility earlier in the week, Hamlin was freed from a Buffalo hospital and went home on January 11.
Dr. Jamie Nadler, the care team director for Hamlin at Buffalo General Medical Center and Gates Vascular Institute, said at the time.:
“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.”
The Bills said on Twitter on January 11, noting that Hamlin had been admitted two days prior and had undergone a series of “extensive” medical evaluations:
“Damar Hamlin has been discharged from Buffalo General Medical Center/Gates Vascular Institute, a Kaleida Health facility in Buffalo, NY.”
Also read Health Update on Buffalo Bills Broadcaster John Murphy and Damar Hamlin!
When will Damar Hamlin play again? His recovery updates
Damar Hamlin’s friend, Jordan Rooney told CNN on January 20,
“Despite being out of the hospital, Damar still has a lengthy recovery. Damar still requires oxygen and is having his heart monitored regularly. He has visited with the team a few times but he still gets winded very easily. He’s upbeat and positive and ready to continue to overcome this.”
His coach, Sean McDermott also provided good news that week revealing that the player had started to come to the team facility regularly. On January 18, he told reporters:
“It’s limited, just overall, but he comes in and — it really just started really today or yesterday — just trying to get back to a little bit of a routine, just getting himself acclimated again, taking it one baby step at a time.”
On January 22, the Bills faced the Bengals for the first time after his shocking collapse. Damar visited the team in the locker room and watched the game from a suite.
In February 2023, Dr. Thom Mayer, medical director of the NFL Players Association confirmed that he would be playing again.
He said on SiriusXM Doctor Radio’s “Heart to Heart” program:
“I guarantee you that Damar Hamlin will play professional football again.”
Looking back at Hamlin’s shocking collapse
On January 3, 2023, Damar Hamlin shocked the NFL world after collapsing in the middle of the field. Hamlin stood up after tackling Cincinnati wide receiver Tee Higgins before dropping to the ground.
While a stretcher and ambulance came, the majority of the Bills roster left the sidelines and entered the field to kneel or stand around Hamlin.
First responders on the scene used an automated external defibrillator and administered CPR on Hamlin. Oxygen was supplied to Hamlin while he was taken inside an ambulance.
He was then taken to the University of Cincinnati Medical Facility, the area’s sole adult level 1 trauma center.
Several Bills players were seen sobbing while Hamlin was being treated at the hospital. Other athletes prayed by hugging or clasping hands.
Hamlin collapsed on the ground around 8:55 p.m. ESPN exited the field at 9:08 p.m. and went into the studio.
Buffalo head coach Sean McDermott and Cincinnati head coach Zac Taylor spoke with referees as they decided whether to resume the game. The game was temporarily halted at 9:17 p.m., and both sides went into the locker rooms.
Hamlin boarded the ambulance and left at 9:25 p.m.
McDermott and a few Bills players exited the locker room at 9:52, over an hour after Hamlin passed out.
You may also like to read: ‘Buffalo Bills’ Damar Hamlin Health Update!
Hamlin made an appearance on the field during Super Bowl LVII
On February 12, Damar Hamlin appeared on-field at Super Bowl LVII which was eventually won by the KC Chiefs. He was on the field with members of the University of Cincinnati Medical Center staff who cared for him during his devastating on-field collapse.
Speaking to Good Morning America before the game, the athlete said that he wants to return to playing “eventually.”
He explained:
“I’m a person who, I kind of like my privacy in a way. But this situation just brought me to the light of the world, which is a good thing in a way, because I think I stand for so much good and I want to set a good example for communities around the world.”