By John Wawrow
Orchard Park, New York: It was uplifting enough for the Buffalo Bills’ staff and players to see Damar Hamlin appear on the video screen in the team’s meeting room — “larger than life,” as coach Sean McDermott put it — for the first time since the safety collapsed and had to be resuscitated on the field.
What sent everyone’s emotions over the top was hearing Hamlin, his mouth and throat still raw shortly after having a breathing tube removed, softly say: “Love you, boys.”
Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin.Credit:AP Photo
“[It was] amazing. Touching,” McDermott said. “To see Damar, number one, through my own eyes, I know it’s something I’ve been looking forward to, [and] kind of needing to see.
“And to see the players’ reaction – they stood up right away and clapped for him and yelled some things at him. It was a pretty cool exchange.”
Four days since his heart stopped after making what appeared to be a routine tackle in a game, the 24-year-old Hamlin, from his hospital room in Cincinnati, and the Bills enjoyed a moment of jubilation in celebrating the next step in what his doctors have termed a remarkable recovery.
“We’ve got our boy, man. It’s all that matters,” left tackle Dion Dawkins said.
“To see the boy’s face, to see him smile and to see him go like this in the camera,” Dawkins said, flexing his muscles to mimic Hamlin, “It was everything. And then to hear him talk, it was literally everything. That’s what we needed.”
Hamlin is now breathing and walking on his own, and has traded in the writing pad he had been using to communicate. Though there is no timetable for his release, Hamlin’s doctors said yesterday that both breathing on his own and showing continued signs of improvement are the final steps for him to be discharged from the University of Cincinnati Medical Center.
Hamlin spent his first two days in the hospital under sedation. Upon being awakened, he was able to follow commands and grip people’s hands. The breathing tube has since been removed, according to the team, and Hamlin’s “neurologic function remains intact.”
The team did not say whether Hamlin’s status remains critical or whether he’s been moved from intensive care.
A sign outside Highmark Stadium in New York shows support for injured Buffalo Bills player, Damar Hamlin.Credit:AP Photo
”The hair on the back of my neck stood up when he said, ‘I love you boys,’” said general manager Brandon Beane, who returned to Buffalo yesterday after spending the three days at Hamlin’s bedside along with the player’s family.
The turning point in Hamlin’s recovery, for Beane, anyway, came when the two exchanged hugs.
“Just to be able to hug him and [feel] the grip strength that he had,” Beane said, before recalling what he told Hamlin’s father, Mario. “I told him, I’m not a crier, but man it was emotional and a lot of grown men in there crying yesterday. [It’s] something I’ll never forget.”
The reaction from around the NFL was just as heart-warming.
“[It’s] awesome. It’s probably uplifting for the entire league,” said New York Giants coach Brian Daboll, who spent the previous four seasons as the Bills’ offensive coordinator. “It gives you a boost because you’re praying so hard for the young man.”
The NFL announced plans to show support for Hamlin during all week 18 games, including a pregame moment of support, painting Hamlin’s No. 3 on the 30-yard line and pregame shirts with “Love for Damar 3.” The Bills will also wear “3” jersey patches.
New York Jets rookie cornerback Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner was already planning to wear Hamlin’s No.3 jersey during warm-ups before the team’s upcoming game at Miami.
“What a warrior. He’s so strong, [and] a fighter for sure,” Gardner said. “I was just so happy he was able to come back to the world.”
Interacting with Hamlin gave the Bills (12-3) some encouragement and allowed them to turn their attention to their season-ending home game against the New England Patriots (8-8).
“It’s going to be a celebration of life and an ongoing life,” Beane said, looking ahead.
The sight of Hamlin collapsing, which was broadcast to a North American TV audience on ESPN’s “Monday Night Football,” led to an outpouring of support from fans and players from across the league. Fans, team owners and players — including superstar quarterbacks Tom Brady and Russell Wilson — have made donations to Hamlin’s Chasing M’s Foundation, which has so far raised more than A$11 million.
