Damar Hamlin has finally provided some insight into what doctors told him after he collapsed on the field nearly four months ago.
The Buffalo Bills announced on Tuesday that Hamlin has been fully cleared to return to football activities. Hamlin later spoke with the media and confirmed that he plans on continuing his NFL career. The 24-year-old also spoke for the first time about his diagnosis, which he says was commotio cordis.
"I'm here to announce I plan on making a comeback to the NFL."
"My heart is still in the game, I love the game."
Damar Hamlin says he experienced commotio cordis and explained what he went through on January 2nd. pic.twitter.com/mz1iZJbNRU
— Heather Prusak (@haprusak) April 18, 2023
“The diagnosis of pretty much what happened to me was, basically, commotio cordis. It’s a direct blow at a specific point in your heartbeat that causes cardiac arrest, and 5-7 seconds later, you fall out,” Hamlin told reporters. “That’s pretty much what everyone saw on Jan. 2 of this year. Commotio cordis is the leading cause of death in youth athletes across all sports, so that’s something I will be personally taking a step in to (help) make a change.”
That is the first time Hamlin or anyone in his inner circle went into detail about what led to the terrifying scene during Buffalo’s Jan. 2 game against the Cincinnati Bengals. Hamlin had previously avoided the question and said he did not want to talk about his diagnosis.
Many medical professionals suspected that commotio cortis was the cause of Hamlin’s cardiac arrest. Hamlin’s uncle created some confusion with a piece of information he shared days after Hamlin’s collapse, but that was later cleared up.
Hamlin was drafted by the Bills in the sixth round back in 2021. He played in 14 games as a rookie and then 15 last season before his on-field collapse.
