Damar Hamlin has made a triumphant comeback.
On Aug. 12, the Buffalo Bills safety played within the team’s preseason opener, facing off against the Indianapolis Colts. It marked the athlete’s first competitive NFL game since he suffered a cardiac arrest on the sphere while playing against the Cincinnati Bengals on their home turf January.
Hamlin, 25, was credited with three tackles, including a key stop on a fourth down, helping the Bills beat the Colts 23-19 in his team’s home game.
“It was fun, it was super fun, it was a terrific experience, just one other milestone and a step up to simply getting back to myself so far as the football space,” Hamlin said after the sport, per NFL.com. “Just chopping this tree down as much as I can, one step at a time.”
And the athlete returned to the sphere with no hesitation. “I made the alternative that I desired to play,” he said. “It wasn’t anybody else’s alternative but mine, so making that alternative, I do know what comes with it.”