Damar Hamlin’s life and career almost ended on Monday Night Football in 2023.
More than a year and a half later, the Buffalo Bills safety made the first interception of his career on Monday Night Football.
Hamlin intercepted a pass from Trevor Lawrence in the second quarter as the Bills continued to trounce the Jacksonville Jaguars, sending players and fans at Highmark Stadium into an uproar. Lawrence brought down Brian Thomas Jr. and Hamlin dropped to his knees to intercept the pass, returning the ball 19 yards to the Jaguars’ 19-yard line.
Hamlin suffered a cardiac arrest on the field on January 2, 2023, while the Bills were playing away against the Cincinnati Bengals.
Hamlin has started all three games for the Bills this season and recorded 10 tackles in the Week 2 win over the Miami Dolphins.
“This is unbelievable,” Sean McDermott told ESPN sideline reporter Laura Rutledge at halftime. “Damar was unbelievable. What a journey he’s been on.”
What happened to Damar Hamlin?
Damar Hamlin collapsed on the field during a tackle on Cincinnati’s Tee Higgins during Monday Night Football due to cardiac arrest resulting from a commotio cordis.
First responders performed CPR and used an automated external defibrillator to restore Hamlin’s heartbeat as he lay on the turf at Paycor Stadium. Hamlin was given oxygen as he was loaded into an ambulance and taken to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center, where he was in critical condition.
Two days later, he regained consciousness and asked doctors who had won the game. Hamlin was released from the hospital on January 9, 2023, and was medically cleared by doctors to return to the field in April 2023.
Hamlin made the Bills’ 53-man roster in 2023 and played in five games, recording two tackles.
Damar Hamlin: His remarkable journey from cardiac arrest to starting safety for the Buffalo Bills
