Buffalo Bills' Damar Hamlin will make first NFL start since cardiac arrest on Sunday; NFL season kicks off with Ravens at Chiefs on Sky Sports from midnight Thursday; watch Atlanta Falcons at Pittsburgh Steelers from 6pm on Sunday, followed by Dallas Cowboys at Cleveland Browns (9.25pm)
Wednesday 4 September 2024 19:44, UK
Damar Hamlin will make his first NFL start since suffering a cardiac arrest on the field in 2023 on Sunday when the Buffalo Bills take on the Arizona Cardinals.
Hamlin started 13 of the 15 games he played in during the 2022 season, before he went into cardiac arrest on the field on January 2 2023, in a game against the Cincinnati Bengals.
"What else can't this young man do? It's one thing to come back off of an ACL or a broken bone. It's another thing to come back off of what he came back off of," Bills head coach Sean McDermott said.
"Let alone just to decide to play football, contact football in full pads at the NFL level. I don't think I need to say anything more. It's incredible.
"I think God's hands have been on Damar and his family and will continue to be. We're just extremely proud and full of gratitude to watch him go through what he's went through and where he is now."
The 26-year-old was hardly assured of winning a starting job, even with both spots being open after Buffalo released Jordan Poyer in March and with Micah Hyde still unsigned and contemplating retirement. The Bills signed fifth-year player Mike Edwards in free agency and then used a second-round pick to draft Cole Bishop.
Edwards and Bishop, however, have missed significant time because of injuries, and McDermott credited Hamlin for showing consistency and building an on-field rapport with Talyor Rapp.
"The opportunity that was there, he took advantage of it and was consistent. (He) built a certain level of rapport with T-Rapp, and that's important as well at the safety position," McDermott said.
The promotion for Hamlin comes some 20 months since he went into cardiac arrest , after making what appeared to be a routine tackle, and needed to be resuscitated on the field during a game at Cincinnati. He then spent two days in the hospital in a medically induced coma before finally being awakened while surrounded by his family.
Doctors diagnosed the cause of Hamlin's heart stopping as a result of commotio cordis, which happens when a direct blow at a specific point in a heartbeat causes cardiac arrest. Cleared for practice and assured by specialists the chances of a recurrence being slim, Hamlin was gradually eased back into football.
He was limited to appearing in just five games in a backup and special teams role last season.
After experiencing trepidation during his comeback last year, Hamlin acknowledged he was able to focus more on football this year.
"My mind is free. My spirit is free. My soul is free," Hamlin told The Associated Press last month. "I'm able to think clearly. I'm not hindered by second thoughts of what could maybe happen again."
Hamlin is from the Pittsburgh area and was selected by Buffalo in the sixth round of the 2021 draft.
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