When Damar Hamlin went into cardiac arrest during «Monday Night Football» on January 2, the entire nation sent their thoughts and prayers to her.
The Buffalo Bills safety received CPR for nine minutes on the field and had to be resuscitated.
As terrifying as the sight was, it seemed like every update on Hamlin from the moment he entered the hospital was positive, some more than others.
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Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen waves as he walks onto the field in a Damar Hamlin jersey before the game against the New England Patriots at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park, New York, on Sunday.
(Bryan M. Bennett/Getty Images)
But for Josh Allen, every time he heard that Hamlin’s condition was improving, it was a reminder that faith is strong.
«It was kind of a spiritual awakening, really, for me,» Allen said in the «Kyle Brandt’s Basement» podcast. «I know a lot of other people maybe didn’t have the strongest belief, or it wasn’t the biggest [or] strongest Christian followers».
Sometimes sports give us some wild matches when we need them.
The day after Hamlin’s collapse, buffalo sabers center Tage Thompson scored the winner in extra time, his third goal of the night, exactly three minutes into extra time. It was also his third treble of the season, with the match being played on 3 January.
Hamlin wears number 3.
It didn’t stop there. In the Bills’ next game on Sunday, Nyheim Hines ran the kickoff for a touchdown, sending the Orchard Park, New York, faithful into a frenzy. But what’s even crazier is that it had been, you guessed it, three years and three months since the last time the Bills returned a kickoff for a touchdown.
Buffalo Bills’ Nyheim Hines returns the kickoff for a touchdown during the first quarter against the New England Patriots at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park, New York on Sunday.
(Bryan M. Bennett/Getty Images)
BILLS’ DAMAR HAMLIN RELEASED FROM BUFFALO HOSPITAL AFTER COMPLETING FULL TESTING
Allen was emotional after the game discussing it, and when he looked at his media availability again after the game, all the feelings returned.
«It brings tears to my eyes thinking about it and watching that clip again,» he said. «To the people who say the NFL is scripted and rigged and all that stuff, I don’t think they really understand what’s really going on. This experience, of an emotion, I’ve never been hit like that before.
«I’ll be the first to admit that I haven’t been the most devoted Christ follower of my life. I’ve had my different beliefs and thoughts and ideas and the like, but something caught me there.» , and it was extremely powerful that, you know, I couldn’t deny it.»
«It was just spiritual. I was going around, sort of going around with my teammates saying, ‘God is real,'» Allen said at the time. «You can’t draw that, write it better. And they just told me…it’s been three years and three months since the last kickoff comeback, so that’s great.»
Damar Hamlin of the Buffalo Bills celebrates after a play during the second quarter of an NFL game against the Miami Dolphins at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park, New York on December 17, 2022.
(Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images)
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Hamlin was released from the hospital on Wednesday, just nine days after the incident.
The Bills will host the Miami Dolphins in their wild card matchup this Sunday, and there is a lot of speculation among fans that Hamlin could lead the team out of the tunnel to open the game.