Getty Bills cornerback Tre'Davious White (R) revealed safety Damar Hamlin (L) sent an apology text to the entire team at 2:31 a.m. before Sunday's game.
The Buffalo Bills powered through a most traumatic week to return to the field on Sunday, January 8, and defeat the New England Patriots, 35-23. At first, it seemed impossible that the Bills would be emotionally capable to play just six days after safety Damar Hamlin suffered cardiac arrest during their primetime matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals, but the 24-year-old’s remarkable recovery completely reinvigorated the team.
Bills cornerback Tre’Davious White, who caught his first interception of the season against the Patriots in Week 18, revealed during his postgame press conference that he and his teammates received a late-night apology text from Hamlin ahead of their final regular season game.
Tre’Davious White gets his first interception of the year!
Video via. @BuffaloBills
“Damar is one of the most resilient, honest, and pure people that I’ve met,” White said. “It just shows what type of person he is. We got a text from Damar yesterday morning around 2:31 in the morning. For him to text us and what he said was, ‘I’m thinking about y’all. I’m sorry that I did that to y’all.’ For him to check on us when he’s the person going through what he’s going through, that just shows what type of person he is for him to check on us.”
“Hopefully we can get him back,” White added, noting how Hamlin always calls him T-Weezy in a hilarious high-pitched tone during team meetings. “I can’t wait to hear his voice and be able to touch him and hug the s*** out of him… We miss you, man. Just get back to us.”
Tre’Davious White Says This Past Week Has Been a ‘S*** Show’
GettyTre’Davious White #27 and Mitch Morse #60 of the Buffalo Bills react to teammate Damar Hamlin #3 collapsing after making a tackle against the Cincinnati Bengals during the first quarter at Paycor Stadium on January 02, 2023.
White, who’s spent the bulk of this season battling back from an ACL tear suffered during the Bills’ Thanksgiving Day game last year, was brutally honest about what this past week has been like inside the locker room. “It’s been s*** show, man,” the two-time Pro Bowler told reporters.
“It’s something I can’t unsee,” White said of the traumatic night at Paycor Stadium. “Every time I close my eyes it replays. I try watching TV and every time the TV goes on commercial, that’s the only thing that comes to my mind. The vision of that. So, it’s been a tough week. Been a tough week for our whole team. But it’s not about us right now. It’s about Damar and his family, man. What they had to go through. His mom. His dad. Being right behind our bench and witnessing their son go through that, it’s tough. Hopefully, we’ll never have to go through this again.”
Bills Set to Host the Dolphins in the Wild Card Round
We meet again. 😤
With the Bills-Bengals matchup declared a no-contest, Buffalo’s only path to retain the No.1 seed in the AFC was to beat the Patriots, and hope the Chiefs lose to the Las Vegas Raiders on Saturday, the latter of which did not happen.
Therefore, the Bills (13-3) have clinched the No. 2 seed in the AFC. Next up, Buffalo will host their division rival, the Miami Dolphins (9-8), at home in Orchard Park during the Wild Card round. An exact time and date for the playoff game have not yet been announced.
The Patriots were officially eliminated from the playoffs after losing to Buffalo. New England (8-9) needed the Dolphins and Pittsburgh Steelers to lose in Week 18 in order to proceed into the postseason. However, Miami defeated the New York Jets 11-6, while the Steelers beat the Cleveland Browns 28-14.