Damar Hamlin cleared to resume full football activities with Buffalo Bills

In perhaps the best news possible for the Buffalo Bills, safety Damar Hamlin has been cleared to resume full football activities with the Bills, per general manager Brandon Beane.

Per Beane:
“Since then he’s seen three additional specialists, most recently on Friday [April 14th] and they’re all in agreement. It’s not two to one, or three to one, or anything like that. They’re all in lockstep of what this was and that he’s cleared to resume full activities just like anyone who’s coming back from an injury or whatever. So he’s fully cleared. He’s here, and he is of the mindset — he’s in a great headspace to come back and make his return.”

This is incredible news for Hamlin, who suffered a traumatic cardiac arrest on the field of Paycor Stadium when the Bills faced the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 17 of the 2022 NFL season. Just over four months have passed since that injury, and Damar Hamlin is now back on the field with his teammates. That this moment is even possible is due to the incredible life-saving care Buffalo Bills assistant athletic trainer Denny Kellington provided to Hamlin through administering CPR and the use of an AED medical device.

Ever since the night of Hamlin’s injury, countless people have wondered what exactly led to his cardiac arrest. At one point, there were medical professionals weighing in to say what they believed was the root cause, while having never had Hamlin as their patient. Much had been made about Hamlin’s reticence to share details, but that all changed today. Damar Hamlin informed the assembled media that what he experienced that night was commotio cordis, which is sudden arrhythmic (cardiac) death caused by blunt trauma to the heart via a low/mild chest wall impact. It’s an injury often experienced by young athletes put in positions where the heart is at heightened risk of blunt trauma (such as by an errant baseball pitch or hockey/lacrosse pass). It serves as a reminder just how violent this sport is that we all enjoy.

One could not ask for a better ending to this chapter of Damar Hamlin’s life story.