Damar Hamlin Audio Biography

Damar Hamlin Audio Biography

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Episode Transcript

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Damar Romeel Hamlin born March twenty fourth, nineteen ninety eight is an American football
safety for the Buffalo Bills of theNational Football League NFL. He played college
football at the University of Pittsburgh andwas selected by the Bills in the sixth
round of the twenty twenty one NFLDraft. Hamlin spent most of his rookie

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season as a backup before becoming astarter in twenty twenty two. Following a
season ending injury to Micah Hyde duringa Monday night football game against the Cincinnati
Bengals. On January second, twentytwenty three, Hamlin suffered a cardiac arrest
after making a tackle. Cardio pulmonaryresuscitation CPR and automated external defibrillation AED were

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quickly administered before he was rushed toa local hospital in critical condition. After
showing signs of improvement, Hamlin wastransferred to a Buffalo hospital, and nine
days after the incident, he wasdischarged to rehabilitate from home. Hamlin made
a full recovery and returned to professionalfootball life and education. Hamlin was raised
in McKees Rocks, Pennsylvania. Heattended Central Catholic High School in Pittsburgh,

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Pennsylvania. He was named first teamAll State and the Class AAA Defensive Player
of the Year. College career twentysixteen season, Hamlin was considered a top
cornerback coming out of Central Catholic HighSchool. He was a four star recruit
and was pursued by major college footballprograms including Pittsburgh, Penn State, Ohio
State, and Temple. He selectedthe Pittsburgh Panthers and played in three games

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as a freshman before suffering an injuryand receiving a medical red shirt exception for
that year twenty seventeen season. Asa red shirt freshman playing in his second
year, Hamlin was not back tofull health until week three of the football
season. Playing the safety position,he recorded forty one tackles with one interception
in nine games played twenty eighteen season. The next year, Hamlin led the

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Panthers Sniper Gang secondary with seventy seventackles and two interceptions as a redshirt semore
and was named honorable mention All AtlanticCoast Conference ACC twenty nineteen season, he
would register eighty four tackles with tenpasses broken up. As a red shirt
junior twenty twenty season, Going intohis final season, Hamlin was a team

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captain and was named to the Allacc second team after leading the Panthers with
sixty six tackles and seven passes brokenup. He earned acc CO Defensive Back
of the Week honors for his Novembertwenty first, twenty twenty game against Virginia
Tech, and Hamlin earned a bachelor'sdegree in communication from the University of Pittsburgh
Buffalo Bill's twenty twenty one season.The Buffalo Bills selected Hamlin in the sixth

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round with the two hundred twelfth overallpick of the twenty twenty one NFL Draft.
He signed his four year rookie contractwith Buffalo on May twenty first,
twenty twenty one. Hamlin played areserve role in his first season, tallying
two tackles and two pass breakup infourteen games played. Twenty twenty two season.
Hamlin became one of Buffalo's starting safetiesin twenty twenty two two after Micah

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Hyde suffered a season ending neck injuryin Week two against the New York Jets.
In Week nine, Hamlin led theteam with twelve tackles in a sack
in the twenty seventeen loss in Weekthirteen against the New England Patriots, Hamlin
was ejected after an illegal hit onJacoby Meyers in the twenty four to ten
win. He was placed on injuredreserve on January sixth, twenty twenty three,

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after he collapsed against the Cincinnati Bengalsin game collapse. On January second,
twenty twenty three, during a weekseventeen Monday night football game against the
Bengals, Hamlin collapsed on the fieldat eight fifty six pm EST after tackling
wide receiver t Higgins and required immediateemergency medical treatment. At the start of
the play, Higgins caught a passby Joe Burrow near the fifty yard line

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and ran down field while leading withhis right shoulder, which collided against Hamlin's
chest. As the defender, Hamlinmade a tackle by wrapping his arms around
higgins shoulders and helmet to bring himdown to the ground. Sports commentators to
described the tackle as seemingly routine,while noting the jarring nature of the contact.
Following the play, Hamlin stood upmomentarily before passing out and falling backwards.

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Hamlin remained motionless at midfield while teamtrainers and paramedics rushed to his side
within ten seconds. First responders initiatedCPR, automated external defibrillation AED, and
other treatments to Hamlin on the fieldfor ten minutes. Hamlin was eventually administered
oxygen and an intravenous solution IVY.An ambulance was brought onto the field about

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four minutes after his collapse for moreassistance. As he was being placed on
a stretcher, most of the playersfrom both teams came off the sidelines to
kneel or stand on the field nearhim, visibly upset and emotional about his
status. After being transported by ambulanceto the University of Cincinnati Medical Center at
nine twenty three pm EST, hewas reported to be in critical condition and

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was intubated. Later that night,at one forty eight am local time,
the Bills reported them that Hamlin hadinitially suffered cardiac arrest and his heartbeat was
restored on field. Hamlin later confirmedthat he had an episode of commocio.
Cordis an extremely rare condition in whichcardiac rhythm is disrupted by a blow to
the chest during a specific forty millisecondspan in the heart's electrical cycle. The

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condition is ninety seven percent fatal ifnot treated within three minutes recovery. On
January third, Hamlin remained at theUniversity of Cincinnati Academic Health Center while sedated
and on a ventilator. According tohis uncle, Dorian Glen, Hamlin was
placed on his stomach to help takethe pressure off his lungs. He also
stated that Hamlin's condition was trending upwards. On January fifth, Bill's cornerback care

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Elam said that Hamlin was awake anddoing better. The same day, the
Bills released a statement saying DeMar hasshown remarkable improvement over the past twenty four
hours, and while still critically ill, he has demonstrated that he appears to
be neurologically intact, his lungs continueto heal, and his is making steady
progress. Trauma surgeon doctor Timothy Pritzsaid Hamlin was able to communicate by writing

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on paper or by nodding and shakinghis head because he still has a breathing
tube. When Hamlin woke up,he was able to follow commands, had
full control and feeling in his extremities, and asked who won Monday night's football
game by communicating and writing on aclipboard. When he asked, yo,
did we win. The answer isyes, DeMar, you won. You
won the game of life, saidPritz. The doctor said significant progress is

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still needed, but this marks areally good turning point in his ongoing care.
On January sixth, Hamlin was ableto breathe on his own, at
which point his breathing tube was removed, allowing him to speak. Later that
day, he made a brief videocall by FaceTime to a Bill's team meeting.
The next day, Hamlin made hisfirst public comments since his cardiac arrest

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through social media, stating that hewas thankful for the love he has received
and asked for continued prayers for along road ahead. On January ninth,
a week after being admitted to thehospital, Hamlin was discharged from the University
of Cincinnati Medical Center so he couldreturn to Buffalo and continue treatment there.

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He was flown to Buffalo General MedicalCenter in stable condition, with tests done
the following day to determine if hecould be released. Hamlin said via his
Twitter account that he was not homequite just yet and still doing an AMP.
Passing a bunch of tests, hewas discharged from Buffalo General Medical Center
Gates Vascular Institute two days later tocontinue his rehabilitation at home. A spokesman

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for the family reported that Hamlin's heartwas being monitored and that he was still
using additional oxygen. Hamlin was ableto attend the Bill's Divisional round game against
the Bengals as a spectator. Thismarked Hamlin's first public appearance since the collapse.
In February twenty twenty three, Hamlinmade a special on field appearance at
Super Bowl el v nan In accompaniedby Bill's athletic training and un SEE health

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staff members. The following month,Hamlin met with President Joe Biden at the
White House. Hamlin was in Washington, d C. To support the Access
to Aed's Act, which would assistschools in obtaining and using automated external defibrillators.
The week after, Hamlin attended aCPR seminar being presented by the Carolina
Panthers and the American Heart Association inCharlotte. On April eighteenth, twenty twenty

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three, Buffalo Bill's general manager BrandonBean stated that Hamlin was fully cleared to
return to the NFL. That sameday, Hamlin announced his intention to return
to the NFL. Reactions following thecollapse, numerous NFL players and teams quickly
offered their support and prayers on socialmedia. The following day, all thirty
two NFL teams changed their profile pictureson Twitter to a picture of Hamlin's jersey

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and text that reads pray for Damar. T. Higgins offered his condolences to
Hamlin's family, as did Cincinnati Bengalswide receiver Jamar Chase. Buffalo Bill's quarterback
Josh Allen urged people please pray forour brother. Retired ice hockey player Chris
Pronger, who had also experienced acommocio cortis caused cardiac arrest during his career,

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wished for Hamlin to have a fullrecovery. Fans began gathering outside the
University of Cincinnati Academic Health Center followinghis collapse. Hours after the incident,
the lights on pay Course Stadium,the location of the game, were lit
blue in honor of Hamlin, alongwith the lights on Fifth Third Bank's headquarters
on Fountain Square. Niagara Falls wasilluminated in blue on the evening of January

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third in support of Hamlin. Shortlyafter the incident, there was an increase
in rhetoric and disinformation from well knownanti vaxers, including Charlie Kirk and Drew
Pinsky, making unfounded claims about Hamlin'scardiac arrest and COVID nineteen vaccines. The
Bills dedicated their week eighteen January eighth, twenty twenty three against the New England

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Patriots to DeMar Hamlin. The openingkickoff of the game, shortly after a
showing of support for Hamlin from boththe organization and fans, would be returned
by Niheim Hines for a touchdown forthe Bills. The Bill's thirty five twenty
three victory would also eliminate the rivalPatriots from playoff contention awards. On May
fifteenth, twenty twenty three, Hamlinreceived the George Hollis Award that is given

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annually by the Pro Football Writers ofAmerica to the NFL player, coach,
or staff member who overcomes the mostadversity to succeed. On July twelfth,
twenty twenty three, Hamlin was honoredto present the Pat Tillman Award to the
Buffalo Bills training staff during the ESPYAwards ceremony. It was an emotional moment

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for Hamlin, the staff, andhis fans, who made it viral on
social media twenty twenty three season.On August twelfth, twenty twenty three,
Hamlin played his first NFL snaps sincehis cardiac arrest in the Bill's preseason opener
against the Las Vegas Raiders. Afterplaying in all three preseason contests, Hamlin
was a healthy scratch for the firstthree games of the season. On October

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first, he was activated for thefirst time since his cardiac arrest in Week
four against the Miami Dolphins, servingas a backup after Jordan Poyer was ruled
out due to an injury. Heplayed a total of eighteen snaps on the
night, all on special teams.On November thirteenth, Hamlin played his first
snaps on defense and made his firsttackle since the on field incident during the

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fourth quarter of the Bills Week tengame against the Denver Broncos. NFL career
statistics, personal life. In additionto his football career, Hamlin is a
fashion entrepreneur, having started a fashionline Chasing Millions while at the University of
Pittsburgh. Charity. In twenty twenty, Hamlin started organizing annual charity Christmas Toy
Drives in his hometown of McKees Rocks, Pennsylvania. The GoFundMe campaign for his

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twenty twenty toy drive had set agoal of two thousand, five hundred dollars
in the hours following his in gamecollapse in medical Emmergen Agency in January twenty
twenty three, Hamlin's twenty twenty GoFundMecampaign for the Chasing M's Foundation toy drive
received a massive influx of donations fromfans and others. Many of the donations
had messages of support for Hamlin.In the days that followed, dozens of

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NFL players, coaches, and executivesdonated to the campaign, which grew from
its two thy five hundred dollars goalamount to over eight point seven million dollars
as of January twelfth, twenty twentythree. Chasing M's Foundation later updated their
go fundme message, saying the fundraiserwas initially established to support a toy drive

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for Damar's community, but was hopefulabout Dumar's future involvement in dispersing the incredibly
generous contributions. On January twelfth,The Buffalo News had a detailed story covering
the enormous changes facing Chasing M's structureand operations in light of the large donations
including its tax exempt status and governance