PITTSFORD, NY – Damar Hamlin smiled broadly and waved hello as he passed by on a scooter, before accelerating to make a sharp, effortless turn up a hill toward the Buffalo Bills’ dormitories at their training camp.
Carefree and happy, there appears to be little the Bills safety has to fear after a year away the apprehensions Hamlin experienced upon returning to football after a near-death experience.
“My mind is free. My spirit is free. My soul is free,” Hamlin told The Associated Press on Sunday. “I can think clearly. I’m not hampered by doubts about what might happen again.”
Hamlin is, of course, referring to the terrifying moment he went into cardiac arrest after making what appeared to be a routine tackle during a game in Cincinnati on January 2, 2023. He had to be resuscitated on the field and was transported to a hospital, where he spent two days in a medically induced coma before finally waking up surrounded by his family.
Doctors diagnosed the cause of Hamlin’s cardiac arrest as the result of commotio cordis, which happens when a direct blow to a specific point in the heartbeat causes cardiac arrest.
Although Hamlin was assured by experts that the chances of recurrence were minimal, he recognized how beneficial it was to go through with it. every cautious step on your return – first training, first tackle, first game – to help regain your confidence. The passage of time also helped provide Hamlin the perspective he needed to, as he put it, “grow up and let go of the past.”
“Time heals everything. This is everything, you know, relationships, life, growth after cardiac arrest,” Hamlin said. “It’s trauma. It’s time that heals everything, if you let it.”
Less burdened by the past, Hamlin now places his emphasis on the future and focuses on the family challenge of competing for a spot on the cast – something he has experienced since the Bills selected the University of Pittsburgh product in the sixth round of the 2021 draft.
While his three seasons in the Bills system help, nothing has been guaranteed for Hamlin, even with both starting spots open following Jordan Poyer’s departure in free agency and Micah Hyde still unsigned and considering retirement.
Taylor Rapp was tapped to fill one of the starting spots, leaving Hamlin competing with off-season free agent Mike Edwards and second-round rookie Cole Bishop for the other spot. The competition has gotten even tougher with Buffalo recently adding veteran free agents Kareem Jackson and Terrell Burgess to offset injuries to Edwards (hamstring) and Bishop (shoulder).
Hamlin has taken nothing for granted since arriving for spring training.
“He came back hungry,” general manager Brandon Beane said. “His focus is, ‘I want to get a job. I want to show that I can prove that I can start and make plays.′ And that’s been his focus, you know, ‘Micah and Jordan are gone. There are new faces out there. And don’t forget me. I can still do this.’”
Coach Sean McDermott credited Hamlin for practicing at a consistently high level in June. And little has changed in his assessment since training camp opened two weeks ago.
“It’s fun to see him having fun out there,” McDermott said last week. “And you can tell he means it.”
Hamlin played in just five games last season, in part because the Bills were easing his return, and with Rapp signed to take over at third safety. Hamlin enjoyed his increased playing time in 2022, starting 13 games, replacing Hyde, who was sidelined with a neck injury.
Hamlin’s preparation and expectations haven’t changed.
“If you go back to the day I was drafted, in this article I did, I said (to the writer), ‘I don’t care if I have to carry water for this team. I just want to do whatever it takes to win,’” Hamlin said. “I trust in myself. I know what I can do. I have faith in my journey. And I still know that my best football is ahead of me.”
He then reflected on something he read the night before.
“Someone was talking about abandoning what was, to become what is,” he said. “That’s a big part of my mental process as far as progress this season.”
Whatever reminders persist are positive.
A tent at the training field offers CPR training for fans, something Hamlin began advocating last year. Its influence extends even further, with Ohio recently passing a law requiring automatic external defibrillators in nearly all schools or sports and recreation facilities.
“I’m on a mission to get all 50 states to pass this bill as well, and I won’t stop until I do,” Hamlin said. “In the same way that I am pursuing my goals on the field, I am pursuing my goals off the field and always prioritizing my blessings of still having a life. I’m still here.
___
This story originally appeared on ABCNews.go.com read the full story
