Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin, who returned to the NFL after suffering cardiac arrest during a game against the Cincinnati Bengals on January 2, 2023, was named the league’s Comeback Player of the Year.
Cleveland Browns quarterback Joe Flacco, signed midway through the season and leading his team to the playoffs, is another front-runner for the award. But he, too, knew Hamlin should be rewarded for what he went through just to get back on the football field this season.
Hamlin’s NFL future was the last thing on anyone’s mind when the world watched him on Monday Night Football at Cincinnati’s Peyco Stadium. This tragic scene left everyone watching with only Hamlin’s health in mind.
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Damar Hamlin arrives at the 25th Anniversary of the Super Bowl Soulful Celebration held at the Pearl Theater at the Palms Casino Resort on February 7, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Mindy Small/Getty Images)
Hamlin’s heart stopped on that field, and without the quick action of the Bills’ training staff and those at the University of California Health Trauma Center in Cincinnati, Hamlin wouldn’t be here today.
Sure, he wouldn’t have won the Alan Page Community Award at last year’s NFL Honors, but even at that point everyone was wondering if Hamlin would ever return to the football field.
Damar Hamlin says winning NFL Comeback Player of the Year award will be ‘super special’, talks about goals for 2024
Just a few months later, he was cleared for football activities, and Hamlin was named to the Bills’ 53-man roster for his third NFL season.
The Bills used Hamlin sparingly this season for obvious reasons, making sure Hamlin was 100% healthy enough to play. He was able to suit up in five games and had two tackles.
Buffalo Bills No. 3 Damar Hamlin warms up before a game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Highmark Stadium on January 15, 2024 in Orchard Park, New York. (Timothy T. Ludwig/Getty Images)
Hamlin also appeared in a playoff game against the Bills and Kansas City Chiefs, where he committed the infamous fake punt attempt (a direct snap at Bills home field) and was intercepted by the Chiefs’ special teams during his team’s loss. Ta.
Despite the lack of playing time thus far, Hamlin’s recovery efforts, the effort the Bills and the rest of the league have put in to get him able to put on the pads again, should be recognized by the entire nation. inspired.
“I didn’t do it for the accolades,” Hamlin told Fox News Digital before the awards ceremony. “I didn’t come back to win an award. I came back for the love of the game and to prove something to myself. I set a goal and wanted to achieve it. It was.”
Hamlin said he has “big goals” for the 2024 season, the last of his rookie contract.
FILE – Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin watches an NFL football preseason game vs. the Chicago Bears on Aug. 26, 2023 in Chicago. (AP Photo/Melissa Tamez, File)
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The fact that he is in a position to consider another contract and more years in the NFL is an inspiration to everyone who loves the game.
