New York Post
April 18, 2023
Less than five months after his life was in jeopardy on the football field, Damar Hamlin is making the final steps of his miraculous comeback.
Bills GM Brandon Beane told reporters Hamlin has been “fully cleared” to resume football activities and is with the team as they begin their offseason program.
Beane said Hamlin met with three specialists before getting the final go-ahead.
”They’re all in agreement — it’s not two to one or three to one or anything like that — they’re all in lockstep of what this was and that he is cleared to resume full activities just like anyone else that was coming back from an injury,” Beane said.
“He’s fully cleared. He’s here. And he is of the mindset — he’s in a great headspace — to come back and make his return.”
Hamlin, 25, suffered cardiac arrest and was resuscitated on the field during a Jan. 3 game at the Bengals.
The injury occurred while tackling Cincinnati receiver Tee Higgins on a routine play.
He was rushed to a local hospital and put on a ventilator — with his life hanging in the balance — before he was able to at least partially breathe on his own.
The second-year safety from Pittsburgh spent nearly 10 days recovering in hospitals in Cincinnati and Buffalo before being released.
He eventually began visiting the Bills’ facility and attended the team’s season-ending 27-10 loss to Cincinnati in the divisional round of the playoffs.
Hamlin has since made numerous appearances around the country, including meeting with President Joe Biden last month.
During the Super Bowl festivities in Arizona in February, he received the NFLPA’s Alan Page Community Award.
He also took part in a pregame ceremony in which the NFL honored the Bills’ and Bengals’ training and medical staffs and first responders who treated the 24-year-old.
It is unclear how much Hamlin will participate in the Bills opening practice, but an NFL comeback is officially within reach.