Damar Hamlin, the Buffalo Bills player who collapsed during a game in January 2023, made an appearance at the ESPYs on July 12. Hamlin was there to present the Pat Tillman Award for Service. The recipient was the Buffalo Bills athletic training staff that saved his life. The Bills staffers' response to Hamlin's acute cardiac arrest, through the use of an AED, saved Hamlin's life. It gave external medical staff time to arrive at the scene. The Tillman Award goes to a group or an individual with a strong connection to sports that has served others. It is named for, and in memory of, Pat Tillman. Tillman was an NFL player who joined the Army Rangers after 9/11. However, Tillman was later killed in a friendly fire incident. His family has long argued that Tillman was murdered due to his increasingly anti-war beliefs.
"Damar, first and foremost, thank you for staying alive, brother," said Nate Breske, head trainer for the Bills. "We're not used to having the spotlight on us," he said. "We were just doing our job, but the idea of service is definitely something that is ingrained in our profession and that we take great pride in. Learn CPR and how to use an AED because they save lives."
Hamlin, Bills Continue AED Awareness Campaign
Since that shocking incident in January, Hamlin has become a vocal advocate for the wider acceptance of AED in schools and athletic spaces. He even visited Congress and met President Biden to discuss the issue. However, it hasn't all been smooth sailing. A number of insidious conspiracies sprung up after the incident. These namely centered on the idea that Hamlin being vaccinated was the cause of his sudden cardiac arrest. This anti-vax conspiracy, which is completely fictitious and not based on any objective science, was also spouted after the death of former NFL QB Ryan Mallett. The other conspiracy, which is tangentially linked to the anti-vax one, is that Hamlin actually died on the field and was replaced by a clone. This conspiracy purports this occurred to cover up Hamlin's vaccine-induced death.
As Hamlin himself, he continues to prepare to return to the NFL. According to Batavia Daily‘s Alex Brasky, Hamlin participated in “stretches, agility and conditioning work, along with individual drills" while “wearing a jersey, without pads" in late May. He is expected to be ready to start Week 1 against the Jets. However, the team are keeping their expectations tempered. “We’re taking it one day at a time and just support Damar in every way possible," head coach Sean McDermott told reporters in May.
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