Damar Hamlin cleared to play football after cardiac arrest originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
Damar Hamlin has been cleared to return to football.
Just over three months after suffering cardiac arrest during a game, the Buffalo Bills safety is set to begin his comeback.
"He is fully cleared. He's here. ... and he's in a great headspace to make his return," Bills general manager Brandon Beane said on Tuesday.
Later in the day, Hamlin confirmed the news in a press conference.
"This is not the end of my story," he said. "I plan to make a comeback to the NFL."
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Hamlin has visited three different specialists since the incident, Beane said. He saw the final specialist last Friday and he's now participating in voluntary team workouts after all three specialists agreed that he could fully return to football.
The 25-year-old Hamlin collapsed on the field during a Jan. 2 game in Cincinnati after colliding with Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins. He received CPR on the field and was rushed by ambulance to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center, where he was in critical condition. After spending nearly a week in Cincinnati, Hamlin was flown to Buffalo for further treatment and discharged from the hospital on Jan. 11.
"We're super excited for Damar," Bills head coach Sean McDermott said Tuesday. "He's moving forward one step at a time here. He's been cleared from a physical standpoint. We'll provide all the mental help we can from a mind, body and spirit standpoint. Just happy for him that he's been able to check some of those boxes to this point, and we're moving forward, but taking it one day at a time."
As voluntary team workouts take place throughout the coming weeks, Hamlin will continue to work himself hopefully back into football shape. Buffalo's mandatory team minicamp will take place from June 13-15 before training camp starts up in late July.
