ORCHARD PARK, NY (AP) — Damar Hamlin turned, pointed to the glass-enclosed booth above Highmark Stadium’s end zone tunnel, and remembered the last time he attended a home game of the Buffalo Bills.
“Right up there,” the Bills security officer said after the team’s annual “red-and-blue” practice at the stadium. “It was an emotional day. That’s when I felt the love.”
Last week’s setting gave Hamlin a chance to reflect on the excitement he felt watching the Bills lose to the Bengals in an AFC playoff game on Jan. 22. He raises his arms to cheer a cheering crowd Through an open window on a snowy afternoon, it was Hamlin’s celebrated first public appearance, some three weeks after his near-death experience during a regular-season game in Cincinnati.
The moment also sparked feelings of insecurity Hamlin felt about his future.
Some seven months later, the 25-year-old is gearing up for the next big step in his effort to get back playing when the Bills open their pre-season campaign with the Indianapolis Colts on Saturday.
After coach Sean McDermott said Thursday he would be addressing Hamlin’s game status “on a day-to-day basis,” he later told The Associated Press that Hamlin was “scheduled to play.”
AP Photo/Adrian Kraus, file
Like everyone else, McDermott has closely followed every milestone in Hamlin’s recovery. The game was the third-year safety’s first competitive appearance since suffering cardiac arrest and requiring on-field CPR.
“This is also new territory for me and all of us, so to speak. So we’re just trying to do our best to be there for him,” McDermott told reporters. “I try to keep a close eye on where he is, where he appears and how he reacts. And he did a great job.”
For Hamlin, it was a step-by-step process without looking too far into the future.
“Trying to look forward just creates a lot of fear and a lot of unnecessary emotion,” he said. “If you stay in the moment, you can process it when you’re there.”
It’s an approach that began with Hamlin waking up from a medically-induced coma in a Cincinnati hospital bed, being able to breathe on his own, being strong enough to attend the Super Bowl, and eventually proclaiming he would put his fear aside to to play football again after being cleared by doctors in April.
Football for Hamlin has increased significantly over the past three months, with May taking part in individual practice sessions. to the team exercises in June and finally took his first blow when he was hit during the first meeting of the Bills in Pads two weeks ago.
Unwilling to imagine what it would be like to play on Saturday, Hamlin said: “It’s too early man.”
Doctors have called Hamlin’s recovery remarkable as he collapsed on prime-time television after what appeared to be a routine tackle. His heart stopped a result of the commotio cordisThis means that a direct hit on a specific point of a heartbeat will cause cardiac arrest.
And his comeback push has been called brave. After two more preseason games, Hamlin’s next hurdle will come on August 29, when the Bills make their final cuts to finalize their regular-season roster.
Hamlin has shown no sign of setback or hesitation during training camp as he attempts to secure one of the substitute spots behind Returnees Micah Hyde and Jordan Poyer. One of Hamlin’s best moments came on the Bills’ second day of practice when he intercepted a pass from backup quarterback Matt Barkley.
Otherwise, he’s his playful type, whether it’s jumping out to practice while acknowledging the cheering crowd, dancing to the music on the sidelines and signing as many autographs as time allows.
Stefon Diggs is happy that Hamlin is just being himself again.
“It’s easy to come in and say, ‘Okay, he’s back on the football field.’ But to see him live, breathe, laugh and have a good time every day is truly an eye-opening moment. As if God were good,” Diggs said. “Of course I will be one of the main guys cheering him on. From a human perspective, I’m just glad the guy’s alive.”
Hamlin will also have friends on the other sidelines to cheer him on.
Receiver Isaiah McKenzie, who signed with the Colts this offseason after previously spending more than four years in Buffalo, has already agreed on a post-game jersey swap with Hamlin.
“It was scary to be a part of, and I think it was scary for anyone who’s into this gladiator sport,” McKenzie said. “At the same time, I was glad he made it through. He’s fine now. He’s making progress. He plays on the soccer field. And I like what I see.”
Colts linebacker Rodney Thomas has also been keeping an eye on Hamlin. The two were high school teammates in Pittsburgh and again in Pitt Thomas drove from Indianapolis to Cincinnati to visit Hamlin in the hospital the day after his collapse.
“It’s definitely going to be special, especially given all the things he’s been through,” said Thomas. “I’m looking forward to getting back on the field with him, just competing and just trying to make our mark as usual.”
Hamlin is desperate to get back to normal, knowing that for someone who almost died and whose life has changed personally, emotionally and spiritually, such a thing may never exist.
“Man, sometimes it’s like normality just doesn’t exist,” Hamlin said. “But it is a most blessed place. To be able to do what I love again. It’s kind of normal.”
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AP sportswriter Michael Marot of Westfield, Indiana contributed to this story.
