Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin celebrates after intercepting a pass during the first half of an NFL football game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Monday, Sept. 23, 2024, in Orchard Park, NY.
Damar Hamlin has written the next chapter of his inspirational comeback story.
The Buffalo Bills safety - who in January 2023 suffered a life-threatening cardiac arrest on the field during a game - recorded the first interception of his four-year career on Monday.
The 26-year-old Hamlin picked off Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence, who overthrew receiver Brian Thomas Jr., and returned it 19 yards to help set up a Bills' touchdown in the second quarter.
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Hamlin, playing in the 37th game of his NFL career, celebrated by running down field with his arms spread, as many in the crowd held up three fingers to match his uniform number.
"Damar has been amazing," Bills coach Sean McDermott when asked about Hamlin's interception by ESPN before halftime on Monday. "What a journey he has been on."
A first-half interception in a 17-point game early in the season typically isn't cause for a raucous celebration. This was an understandable exception.
On Jan. 2, 2023, Hamlin collapsed on the field after making a tackle against the Cincinnati Bengals during Monday Night Football. He was resuscitated on the field after members of the Bills' medical and athletic training staff administered CPR. Hamlin then spent 10 days recovering and being monitored in hospitals in Cincinnati and Buffalo.
Hamlin, a sixth-round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, was fully cleared to return to football in April. He returned to team drills in June of 2023 for the first time since his near-death experience.
Hamlin played in five games during the 2023 season, recording two tackles and finishing second in Comeback Player of the Year voting behind Cleveland Brown quarterback Joe Flacco.
Hamlin, who had started 13 games in 2022, made his first start since suffering cardiac arrest earlier this month in the Bills' season-opening win against the Arizona Cardinals.
