Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin finally joined his team’s practice on Monday in front of a crowd that was following his amazing recovery after suffering a heart-stopping blow to the chest seven months ago.
As you may recall, Hamlin received a tremendous hit on the chest that had him lying on the field in a Monday Night Football game against the Cincinnati Bengals.
Damar Hamlin gave a press conference after practice
Hamlin suited up as he normally did until before that night and returned to practice in search of a place on Buffalo’s roster.
In front of a big a line of cheering fans, Hamlin made his way to the field where he could finally participate in contact sessions.
“Super big hurdle as you can imagine. I practically lost my life playing the sport. I decided to play. But I’m processing a thousand emotions. I’m not afraid to say it crosses my mind to have a little fear here and there,” Hamlin told reporters, after practice
My faith is stronger than any fear. That’s what I want to preach up here. And that’s the message I want to get out to the world as long as your faith is stronger than your fear, you can overcome anything.
Hamlin already participated in organized team activities (OTAs), during the spring sessions and now received clearance to participate in the first four days of training camp, as required by NFL rules.
“Ah man, it feels amazing. It’s a rollercoaster of emotions. I was a little all over the place just being back for the first time. I’m just trying to keep everything as normal as possible,” the 25-year-old added of his first feelings on the gridiron.
“My family, my mom, and dad, supported me in whatever decision I made, to play or not (…) I made my decision and I’m going to live with it,” he concluded.
Dramatic image of Damar Hamlin lying on the gridiron
The image of Damar Hamlin shook the world sports on the night of January 2 at the Paul Brown Stadium on the night of January 2. Hamlin made a routine tackle on an opponent. However, he took a direct hit to the chest that stopped his heart.
In a dramatic sequence of events, players and medical staff from both teams surrounded Hamlin and knelt, first to pray for him and then to prevent any cameras from leaking images of the dramatic moment, while Hamlin had to be resuscitated by paramedics on the field and evacuated to a Cincinnati hospital in critical condition, while the game was eventually suspended.
Following the emergency, Hamlin was released, nine days later to complete his recovery at home.
The Bills will open their preseason this August 12 against the Indianapolis Colts and open the season on September 11 against the New York Jets.
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Marca