The Buffalo Bills season may have fallen short of making Super Bowl 57, but one player did get the chance to travel to Phoenix and make an appearance on the field.
Prior to the start of Sunday’s game, Bills safety Damar Hamlin made an appearance on the field alongside Bills and Cincinnati Bengals training and medical staff members and staff from the University of Cincinnati Medical Center. Hamlin formed his hands into a heart, a gesture made famous by his Bills teammates in the days and weeks after his collapse on the field in the team’s January 2 game against the Cincinnati Bengals.
The appearance caught some viral attention and a big reaction from Bills fans.
Bills Fans Thrilled to See Hamlin Healthy and Happy
Hamlin had already appeared in Phoenix in the days before the Super Bowl, accepting the NFLPA Alan Page Community Award on February 8. Hamlin took the stage with his parents and expressed gratitude for all those who supported him and helped raise more than $9 million for his foundation.
Hamlin’s appearance on Sunday drew plenty of praise from Bills fans who were happy to see him looking so well after a frightening experience on the field a little more than a month beforehand.
“This is incredible,” tweeted WHAM reporter Dan Fetes. “When I left Cincinnati, if you told me that Damar Hamlin would be SMILING and DANCING at the Super Bowl… I would have said you were crazy.”
Ain’t It A Blessing!? #SuperBowlLVII
The appearance was also special for Hamlin, who got the chance to root for childhood friend Miles Sanders, the Philadelphia Eagles running back.
Damar Hamlin dapping up his childhood friend Miles Sanders 🤝❤️
(via @NFL)
Hamlin Speaks Out
Before his appearance on the field in Phoenix, Hamlin spoke to Michael Strahan of Fox Sports about his cardiac arrest and recovery. Strahan asked the Bills safety if he remembered the moments directly before his collapse, when he took a hard hit from Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins and then stumbled backward before falling to the turf.
Hamlin said he still struggles with understanding why it happened.
“That’s something I don’t really want to get too deep into, in the detail,” Hamlin said, via USA Today. “That’s something I’m still trying to work through. Why did it happen to me?”
Hamlin added that his recovery has been a trying experience, especially as he’s been thrust into the spotlight unexpectedly. The 24-year-old said he hoped to use the newfound attention to do good in the world.
“Just processing my emotions,” Hamlin said. “I’m a person who, I kind of like my privacy in a way. But this situation just brought me to the light of the world, which is a good thing in a way, because I think I stand for so much good and I want to set a good example for communities around the world.”
Damar Hamlin is at his first Super Bowl.
Hamlin already had a chance to make an impact during Super Bowl week. He partnered with the American Heart Association for a program promoting CPR education, with the NFL offering free education in Phoenix in the days before the Super Bowl.
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Bills Fans React to Damar Hamlin’s Viral Appearance at Super Bowl