Buffalo Bills coach Sean McDermott said Sunday he expects Damar Hamlin to return to play despite the cardiac arrest he suffered last January.
“If we can get full clearance and he feels he’s ready to do it will be another big smile in his story. Not only because he got his life back, but because he would get his career back,” he said.
McDermott is attending the league’s annual owners’ meeting in Phoenix, which will culminate Wednesday.
Damar Hamlin, 24, suffered cardiac arrest after tackling a Cincinnati Bengals player on Jan. 2. The defender received cardiopulmonary resuscitation on the pitch, and after being stabilized was transferred to a hospital, where he remained in critical condition.
On January 11, Hamlin was discharged to continue his recovery at home.
A month later he attended Super Bowl LVII played by the Kansas City Chiefs vs Philadelphia Eagles at State Farm Stadium in Glendale.
In that meeting, he received a tribute together with the group of doctors who saved his life
McDermott said today that the Bills will not rush any decision, although he acknowledged that they have worked with the player on the way to a comeback.
“The amount of courage it will take to return to play is unknown to many of us, but I’m ready to support him in whatever direction he decides to take, which he will do calmly. We have addressed the issue with Damar on the mental and emotional aspects of a comeback,” he explained.
Through his Twitter account, Damar Hamlin has documented the progress he has made in his recovery.
In the most recent publication, last Friday, he celebrated his 25th birthday with a photograph in which he appears mounted on an exercise bike with his torso naked and covered with electrodes while showing off his musculature.
