After suffering cardiac arrest six months ago, Buffalo Bills player Damar Hamlin had a permanent smile on his face at the 2023 ESPY Awards.
“I’m gonna be soaking it in all night,” Hamlin, 25, told reporters while walking the red carpet on Wednesday, July 12.
He proceeded to gush about the Buffalo Bills medical staff, who will be honored with the Pat Tillman Award for Service during the event for their quick action following Hamlin’s medical emergency in January.
“It means everything. We shared a special moment together,” Hamlin said on Wednesday of the men and women who helped in his recovery. “I’ll be bonded with that medical staff for life. They’re like family.”
In June, the Bills announced that their training staff would be the recipient of one of the ESPYs’ biggest honors, which was created in memory of former NFL player and U.S. Army Ranger Pat Tilman who was killed in 2004 while serving in Afghanistan.
“By the grace of god and divine intervention we had the best outcome we could have prayed for or imagined,” Nate Breske, head of the Bills’ medical team, shared during his acceptance speech on behalf of the staff. “It was a massive effort of specialists that came together to do their jobs that night.”
Breske then addressed Hamlin — who presented the award after receiving a standing ovation from the audience — directly, saying, “Damar thank you for staying alive brother. We are so honored to be standing up here next to such a strong and gorgeous human being.”
Back in January, the professional football player collapsed on the field after tackling Cincinnati Bengals receiver Tee Higgins. Medical staff rushed to help him and conducted nearly 10 minutes of CPR before he was transferred to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center. The coaches, players and NFL agreed to postpone the game, despite reports surfacing that the league initially wanted to continue playing.
“Emotions you can imagine in…
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