Getty Image / Timothy T Ludwig
Buffalo Bills players took CPR and defibrillator training this week, which coincided with the return of safety Damar Hamlin to the practice field.
On Wednesday, the Bills posted a video to social media of team members taking part in CPR and AED training.
Representatives of the Buffalo Black Nurses Association, University at Buffalo Medical Doctors, American Medical Response and the American Heart Association visited the Bills’ practice facility to train Bills players in CPR.
Hamlin has been advocating for nationwide CPR training and defibrillators at every school and every youth sporting event in the country, and the NFL has committed $1 million toward those efforts. [via ProFootballTalk]
Hamlin, of course, had his life saved as a result of CPR and defibrillation after he nearly lost his life in a game against the Cincinnati Bengals on January 2. Following a tackle on wide receiver Tee Higgins, Hamlin went into cardiac arrest and had to undergo CPR on the field.
After recovering UC Medical Center in Cincinnati for a few days, Hamlin returned to Buffalo where he continued his rehab, eventually leading to his incredible return to the football field this week.
Drafted out of the University of Pittsburgh in the sixth round of the 2021 NFL Draft by the Buffalo Bills, Hamlin became a starter for the team during the 2022 season after making just two tackles in his rookie season. During the 2022 season, Hamlin started in 13 games, and had 91 total tackles, 4 pass defenses, 1.5 sacks, and 1 forced fumble.
While incredible, Hamlin’s return to the game of football isn’t unprecedented. Just a few years ago at the Euro tournament in the summer of 2021, Danish midfielder Christian Eriksen suffered cardiac arrest during a match and also had to be revived.
Eriksen, however, would return to playing the following year and spent this past season as a regular and influential starter for Manchester United, one of the biggest organized sports teams in the world.
