WATCH: Buffalo Bills Safety Damar Hamlin Takes a Moment to Reflect on the Field Where He Nearly Lost His Life Last Season
Returning to the scene where he nearly lost his life last January, Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin knelt on the field by himself to reflect on that moment.
The Bills on Sunday traveled to Cincinnati’s Paul Brown Stadium to take on the Bengals. Under any other circumstances, the most compelling storyline heading into the game would be the matchup of Josh Allen and Joe Burrow — two of the league’s top quarterbacks.
This game, however, was especially significant because it was the same two teams playing on the exact same field where many thought they watched a man die last season. During a late-season Monday Night Football game, Hamlin tackled Bengals receiver Tee Higgins. The tackle appeared routine at first, but Hamlin suddenly collapsed due to cardiac arrest after the play was over. He required CPR on the field before eventually exiting the field in an ambulance.
The scary incident — followed by Hamlin’s long road to recovery — captured the attention of the nation. Under the supervision of multiple medical experts, Hamlin returned to the field during training camp ahead of the 2023-24 season. He’s since appeared in one game for the Bills.
On Sunday, Hamlin was listed as inactive and spent much of the night cheering his teammates from the sideline.
When the game ended and most of the stadium cleared out, he walked onto the field by himself and knelt near midfield with his head down. After taking the moment to reflect, Hamlin stood up, readjusted the hood on his sweatshirt, and began walking off the field.
He then received a video call from someone. Hamlin answered it and did a complete circle of the stadium to show where he was.
According to WLWT reporter Olivia Ray, Hamlin spent around 15 minutes on the field. Hamlin later got on Twitter to express how moving the moment was for it.
“Tonight was everything for me,” He said. “Y’all don’t know the half of it. Trust me.”
Tonight was everything for me.. y’all don’t know the half of it. Trust me. https://t.co/eQGkrqtZK0
— 𝐃𝐚𝐦𝐚𝐫 𝐇𝐚𝐦𝐥𝐢𝐧 (@HamlinIsland) November 6, 2023
Watch above via Twitter.
