Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin, who collapsed on the field from cardiac arrest earlier this year, has been “fully cleared” to play football again.
During a press conference on Tuesday, General Manager Brandon Beane announced that Hamlin is “cleared to resume full activities just like anyone else who is coming back from an injury.”
He added that Hamlin continues to keep in touch with medical specialists, who have called and cleared him to return to play football once again, The Blaze reported.
“They’re all in agreement,” Beane said. “…They’re all in lockstep” that Hamlin should be able to play without any more limitations.
“He’s fully cleared, he’s here, and he’s … in a great headspace to come back and make his return,” Beane concluded.
Hamlin, 24, went into cardiac arrest on the football field during a game against the Cincinnati Bengals on January 2. At the time, he collapsed onto the ground after he tackled Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins. Hamlin was reportedly resuscitated twice, once on the field and once in the hospital.
Hamlin was placed in critical condition and eventually communicated with his teammates through FaceTime several days later. By the end of January, Hamlin released a video in which he shared that he was doing better since the incident several weeks prior.
Hamlin’s collapse prompted ESPN host Dan Orlovsky to lead other NFL panelists to pray for his recovery. Additionally, players from around the league began wearing T-Shirts that read, “Pray For Hamlin.”
According to Bills quarterback Josh Allen, the team experienced a “spiritual awakening” sometime after the incident. After being released from University of Cincinnati Medical Center, Hamlin made appearances thanking God for his recovery.
“What happened to me on Monday Night Football, I feel, is a direct example of God using me as a vessel to share my passion and my love directly from my heart with the entire world,” he said.
Photo credit: ©Getty Images/Timothy T. Ludwig/Stringer
Milton Quintanilla is a freelance writer and content creator. He is a contributing writer for Christian Headlines and the host of the For Your Soul Podcast, a podcast devoted to sound doctrine and biblical truth. He holds a Masters of Divinity from Alliance Theological Seminary.