(Orchard Park) Dressed in a jacket in the colors of the Buffalo Bills and wearing a red cap, safety Damar Hamlin took his place at the lectern and declared on the floor that he is ready to resume his activities in the NFL.
“This event has changed my life, but it’s not the end of my story,” Hamlin said Tuesday at a press conference held at the team’s facility for the first time since joining the team. suffered a cardiac arrest on the field during a game against the Cincinnati Bengals nearly four months ago.
“I plan to return to the game in the NFL,” assured the one who was revived by first responders.
“My heart is healthy. I love this sport. I have to do it for myself, not for others. I just want to show people that fear is just a choice and that, you know, you can persevere even if you don’t have all the answers to your questions, he mentioned. You may feel anxious, you may feel uncomfortable at times, but just put your right foot in front of your left foot and keep going. »
Hamlin met with members of the media after general manager Brandon Beane announced that Hamlin had been given the all-clear by doctors to participate in the team’s voluntary training program.
“He’s been given the green light by the doctors to return to action,” Beane said, adding that he lacked team approval after the player spoke with a third and final specialist last Friday.
Beane said the three specialists concluded that Hamlin could return to sport without fear of relapse or complication. The Bills admitted that their own doctor attended Hamlin’s meetings with the specialists, but Beane added that the team followed the recommendations of medical professionals.
Hamlin has made an extraordinary recovery, doctors reported, since collapsing on the field after making a routine tackle in the first quarter of the Jan. 2 game against the Bengals. This match was eventually interrupted, then canceled altogether.
The player from McKee’s Rock, a suburb of Pittsburgh, was hospitalized for nearly 10 days in Cincinnati and Buffalo before being discharged. He then toured the Bills facilities and watched their playoff game – which ended in a 27-10 loss to the Bengals.
Since then, Hamlin has made several public appearances across the United States, including during a meeting with US President Joe Biden last month. He also took part in the Super Bowl festivities in February in Arizona, where he earned the Alan Page Trophy presented by the NFL Players Association. And he took part in a pre-game ceremony where the NFL honored Bills and Bengals medical staff and first responders who came to the 24-year-old’s rescue.