Buffalo Bills staff and players were already elated to see Damar Hamlin appear on the team meeting room video screen on Friday — “larger than life,” as head coach Sean McDermott described it — for the first time since the Marauder collapsed and had to be resuscitated in the field.
What made all the emotions boil over was hearing Hamlin, his mouth and throat still raw shortly after having a breathing tube removed, softly say, “I love you guys. »
” Wonderful. Touching. To see Damar, first, with my own eyes, I know was something I was looking forward to, kind of needed to see, McDermott admitted. And to see the reaction of the players. They stood up right away and cheered him on and shouted things at him. It was a pretty cool exchange. »
Four days since his heart stopped after making what seemed like a routine tackle in a game, Hamlin, from his hospital room in Cincinnati, and the Bills enjoyed a moment of jubilation as they celebrated the next step in what his doctors called a remarkable recovery.
“We have our guy. That’s all that matters,” said left tackle Dion Dawkins.
“To see the boy’s face, to see him smile and to see him go like that in front of the camera,” Dawkins recounted, flexing his muscles to mimic Hamlin, “it was everything. And then hearing him speak was literally everything. That’s what we needed. »
The 24-year-old defensive player now breathes and walks on his own, and has returned the notepad he used to communicate. Although there is no timeline for his discharge from hospital, Hamlin’s doctors said Thursday that breathing on his own and showing continued signs of improvement are the final steps for him to be able to out of the University of Cincinnati Medical Center.
Hamlin spent his first two days in the hospital sedated. When he woke up Wednesday night, he was able to follow orders and grab people’s hands. The breathing tube has been removed, the team said Friday, and Hamlin’s “neurological function remains intact.”
The team did not say if Hamlin’s condition remains critical or if he has been moved from intensive care.
In a move that was predictable, the Bills placed Hamlin’s name on the injured reserve until the end of the season, and activated rookie cornerback Christian Benford from the injured reserve. Benford had been out of action since sustaining an oblique muscle injury on Thanksgiving Day in the United States.
“The hairs on the back of my neck stood up when he said, ‘I love you guys,'” confessed general manager Brandon Beane, who returned to Buffalo on Thursday after spending the three days at Hamlin’s bedside with the family. of the player.
The turning point in Hamlin’s recovery, according to Beane anyway, came Thursday morning when the two men exchanged a hug.
“The fact that I could hug him and the grip strength he had,” Beane said, before recalling what he said to Hamlin’s father, Mario.
“I told him, I’m not the crying type, but it was emotional and a lot of the grown men in there were crying yesterday. It’s something I will never forget. »
The reaction across the NFL on Friday was equally warm.
” Awesome. It’s probably uplifting for the whole league,” said New York Giants head coach Brian Daboll, who spent the previous four seasons as the Bills’ offensive coordinator. “It gives you a boost because you pray so hard for this young man. »
The NFL announced plans to show support for Hamlin during all games in Week 18, including a moment of support before the game, the painting of Hamlin’s number 3 on the 30-yard line and t-shirts. pregame with “Love for Damar 3”.
The Bills will also wear badges with the number “3” on their jerseys.
The interaction with Hamlin gave the Bills (12-3) some encouragement and allowed them to turn their attention to Sunday’s final game of the season at home against the New England Patriots (8-8 ).
“It’s not just going to be a celebration of Buffalo, but of the whole country and, I’m sure, people internationally who have watched this situation,” Beane said. It’s going to be a cool deal, and the only thing that would be better is if Damar was here by then. I don’t know if that would happen, but regardless, we’re excited for Sunday. »
The scene of Hamlin’s collapse, televised to audiences across North America as part of ESPN’s traditional Monday night game, drew an outpouring of support from fans and players of the whole league.
Fans, team owners and players — including Tom Brady and Russell Wilson — donated to Hamlin’s “Chasing M’s” foundation, which raised nearly $8 million as of Friday afternoon.