Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin returned to NFL competition in a pre-season game on Saturday, seven months after having a cardiac arrest after being hit during a game.
The 25-year-old defensive back took part in his first on-field game action since being carted off the field in an ambulance on Jan. 2, playing in the first quarter at home against Indianapolis, Indiana.
Hamlin saw action on 24 snaps and recorded three tackles in the Bills’ 23-19 win over the Indianapolis Colts, and was smiling after the game as he reflected on his return to action.
Photo: Gregory Fisher-USA Today
“That was fun, it was super fun, it was a great experience. Just another milestone ... just getting back to myself as far as in the football space and in the NFL. So, just chopping this tree down as much as I can one by one,” he said.
It was the completion of a comeback from an incident that took place at Cincinnati when Hamlin tackled Bengals receiver Tee Higgins and seconds later collapsed on the field.
Emergency medical workers restored his heartbeat on the field and he was taken to a nearby hospital, the game halted and never completed. Hamlin eventually recovered and was diagnosed as having been struck in the chest between heartbeats in a rare incident that stopped his heart.
He said he had not had any hesitation about stepping back on to the field.
“When you step in between the lines, you’re putting yourself at risk by hesitation. So, I made the choice that I wanted to play. It wasn’t nobody else’s choice but mine,” he said. “Making that choice, I know what comes with it. So, when you see my cleats laced up and my helmet and pants on, there ain’t no hesitation.”
“I honestly couldn’t imagine not being a part of this and choosing the other choice that I had, I honestly couldn’t imagine it, bcause you get so close, you build so many relationships with these people on the team, that I love this atmosphere. And honestly, there’s no other place I’d rather be,” he said.
Bills head coach Sean McDermott praised Hamlin for his bravery in returning to a sport where violent hits are part of the game.
“What we just witnessed, to me, is remarkable. It’s a true sign of a young man’s courage and obviously [credit to] everyone that helped him get to this point,” he said.
Twelve days after winning her second Grand Slam title at the French Open, Coco Gauff fell at the first hurdle on grass in Berlin on Thursday as beaten Paris finalist Aryna Sabalenka advanced to the quarter-finals. Recipient of a first round bye, American Gauff lost 6-3, 6-3 to Chinese qualifier Wang Xinyu as world number one Sabalenka beat Rebeka Masarova 6-2, 7-6 (8/6) in her second round tie. Winner of 10 main tour titles, including the US Open in 2023 and the WTA Finals last year, Gauff has yet to lift a trophy in a grass-court tournament. “After I won the first
While British star Jack Draper spent the past week trying to find rhythm and comfort in his first grass tournament of the season at the Queen’s Club Championships in London, Jiri Lehecka on Saturday bulldozed everything in his path. After more than two furious hours of battle, their form was reflected in the final scoreline as Lehecka toppled a frustrated Draper, the second seed, 6-4, 4-6, 7-5 to reach the biggest final of his career, against Carlos Alcaraz. Lehecka is also the first Czech to reach the men’s title match at Queen’s since Ivan Lendl lifted the trophy in 1990. Draper, who
Top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka staged a “crazy comeback,” saving four match points before beating Elena Rybakina 7-6 (6), 3-6, 7-6 (6) in the quarter-finals of the Berlin Open on Friday. Sabalenka was 6-2 down in the final-set tie-breaker, but won six straight points to reach her eighth semi-final of the season. “Elena is a great player and we’ve had a lot of tough battles,” Sabalenka said. “I have no idea how I was able to win those last points. I think I just got lucky.” “I remember a long time ago when I was just starting, I won a lot of matches being down
The Canterbury Crusaders edged the Waikato Chiefs 16-12 in an intense Super Rugby Pacific final battle in Christchurch yesterday to claim their 15th title in 30 years of the Southern Hemisphere competition. Hooker Codie Taylor scored a try and Rivez Reihana contributed 11 points from the kicking tee as the most dominant team in Super Rugby history extended their perfect home playoff record to 32 successive matches since 1998. The Chiefs, who were looking for a first title since 2013, scored first-half tries through George Dyer and Shaun Stevenson, but were unable to register a point after the break and fell to
RSS