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Damar Hamlin is back in play.
On Sunday, the Buffalo Bills safety took the field in his first regular season NFL game since suffering cardiac arrest during a game last season.
READ MORE:
Damar Hamlin Plays In NFL Preseason Game With Bills 7 Months After Going Into Cardiac Arrest
While Hamlin didn’t record any official stats during the game, the Bills did come away victorious over the Miami Dolphins.
It’s go time. 🫶#MIAvsBUF | #BillsMafia pic.twitter.com/5nmAotOV1W
— Buffalo Bills (@BuffaloBills) October 1, 2023
Hamlin made an emotional entrance onto the field, where he was met with big cheers from the crowd.
Over the summer, the 25-year-old also played during the Bills preseason home opener against the Indianapolis Colts, recording three solo tackles.
On Jan. 2, in a game against the Cincinnati Bengals, Hamlin took a hit to the chest and went into cardiac arrest on the field.
Paramedics immediately attended to him, restarting his heart before taking him off the field in an ambulance.
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Damar Hamlin Tears Up While Presenting Buffalo Bills Training Staff With Pat Tillman Award At 2023 ESPY Awards
After spending time in critical condition and a total of nine days in hospital, Hamlin began his months-long recovery. He began working out with the Bills again in April, and by late July he was reportedly a “full go” at training camp before the new season.
Speaking to The Associated Press after Sunday’s game, Hamlin said, “I think it was more so about promising to myself than anything else, just showing myself that I have the courage, I have the strength, that I have the pride, everything, all those words, in me to be able to go through something traumatic and to be able to come back from it. To be able to still do what I love at the highest level in the world is amazing.”
