Damar Hamlin Returns to Football Field for Training Camp Months After Cardiac Arrest

Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott said that the 25-year-old safety will "be a full go" at the team's training camp.

Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin is ready to take the field again months after suffering cardiac arrest and collapsing mid-game in January.  

Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott said that the 25-year-old will "be a full go" at the team's training camp at St. John Fisher University, according to a message by the team shared on Twitter.

"Damar Hamlin will be a full go at training camp and we're behind him 100-percent," McDermott said. "We'll go at his cadence." 

The team also shared a video of Hamlin in a jersey and helmet walking out onto the field. 

Fans were stunned on Jan. 2 when Hamlin collapsed during a game against the Cincinnati Bengals after being hit during a play. He was treated on the field for nearly 20 minutes. The Bills said he had suffered cardiac arrest and his heartbeat had been restored on the field. 

Hamlin spent the next several days in critical condition in intensive care at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center. A week after his collapse, he was transferred to a medical center in Buffalo, where he spent a few more days before being discharged "to continue his rehabilitation at home and with the Bills." 

Since then, Hamlin has been photographed at team practices and even attended the Super Bowl. In April 2023, he was "working out" with the team again, just three and a half months after the cardiac arrest. 

"He's fully cleared," Bills general manager Brandon Beane said at the time. "He's in a great headspace to comeback and make his return." 

This story was originally published by CBS News on July 26, 2023 at 12:17 p.m. ET. 

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