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D amar Hamlin couldn’t be with his Buffalo Bills teammates for their Super Wild Card playoff game against the Miami Dolphins on January 15, but sent a message to them before the game.
The 24-year-old safety, who collapsed in the team’s January game against the Cincinnati Bengals and was hospitalized in critical condition, tweeted a message of support to teammates shortly before Sunday’s game. Though there had been some speculation that Hamlin could be at the stadium, he said he was watching along from home.
“My heart is with my guys as they compete today!” Hamlin wrote, sharing a video of himself on the field at Highmark Stadium from the team’s win over the Dolphins on December 17. “Supporting from home as I focus on my recovery. Nothing I want more than to be out there with them! LFG”
Damar Hamlin’s Dramatic Return to Buffalo
The message shared on Sunday demonstrated the progress Hamlin has made in the past 13 days. He was hospitalized for nine days after collapsing in the January 2 game, spending the first week at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center before being transferred to Buffalo.
Hamlins made what the team called “remarkable” improvement in the first few days after his collapse, and earlier this week was able to pay a visit to teammates at the team’s facility in Buffalo.
Linebacker Matt Milano shared a picture of Hamlin’s visit to Highmark Stadium on Saturday, January 14.
There had been some reports earlier on Sunday that Hamlin could attend the Dolphins game. Carolyn Thompson and John Wawrow of The Associated Press reported hours before the game that he planned to attend. The report expected his appearance to give a boost to a team and fanbase that had been put through a lot in the last 13 days.
But the story was updated close to an hour later with a source with knowledge of Hamlin’s schedule that his “plans may have changed.”
Damar Hamlin Continues to Improve After Suffering Cardiac Arrest
Hamlin has continued to make steady progress since his collapse on January 2, with doctors saying when he was released from the Cincinnati hospital that he “a little weak,” but that was normal for the recovery process.
Doctors added that Hamlin did not appear to suffer any neurological damage from the incident.
“He appears to be completely neurologically intact, and there’s no reason to believe he won’t continue on his path to recovery,” doctors said, via Sports Illustrated reporter Albert Breer.
Bills head coach Sean McDermott said on Wednesday that the team was happy Hamlin could return to Buffalo and hopeful to see him back whenever he felt ready.
“Obviously grateful first and foremost that he’s home and with his parents and his brother, which is great,” McDermott said. “I’m sure it has felt like a long time since he’s been able to be home. I’m sure it’s a great feeling and, we’ll leave it up to him. His health is first and foremost on our mind as far as his situation goes, and then when he feels ready, we welcome him back as he feels ready.”
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