Damar Hamlin says his ‘mind is free’ a year after resuming football following near-death experience

PITTSFORD, N.Y. (AP) — Damar Hamlin flashed a wide grin and waved hello while zipping by on a scooter, before accelerating to make a sharp, effortless turn up a hill toward the Buffalo Bills dorm rooms at their training camp facility.

Carefree and happy, there seems to be little the Bills safety has to be afraid of a year removed from the trepidations Hamlin experienced in making his return to football following a near-death experience.

“My mind is free. My spirit is free. My soul is free,” Hamlin told The Associated Press on Sunday. “I’m able to think clearly. I’m not hindered by second thoughts of what could maybe happen again.”

Hamlin is, of course, referring to the terrifying moment when he went into cardiac arrest after making what appeared to be a routine tackle during a game at Cincinnati on Jan. 2, 2023. He needed to be resuscitated on the field and was transported to a hospital, where he spent two days in a medically induced coma before finally being awakened while surrounded by his family.

Doctors diagnosed the cause of Hamlin’s heart stopping as a result of commotio cordis, which happens when a direct blow at a specific point in a heartbeat causes cardiac arrest.

Though Hamlin was assured by specialists the chances of a recurrence are slim, he acknowledged how beneficial it was going through each cautious step in his comeback — first practice, first tackle, first game — in helping regain his confidence. The passage of time also helped provide Hamlin the perspective he needed to, as he put it, “grow and let go of the past.”

“Time heals all. That’s everything, you know, relationships, life, growth from cardiac arrest,” Hamlin said. “It’s trauma. It’s time that heals all if you allow it to.”

Less encumbered by the past, Hamlin now places his emphasis on the future and focus on the familiar challenge of competing for a roster spot — something he’s experienced ever since the Bills selected the University of Pittsburgh product in the sixth round of the 2021 draft.

Though his three seasons of being in the Bills system helps, nothing has been assured Hamlin even with both starting spots open following Jordan Poyer’s departure in free agency and Micah Hyde still unsigned and contemplating retirement.

Taylor Rapp has been tagged to fill one of the starting jobs, leaving Hamlin competing with offseason free-agent addition Mike Edwards and rookie second-round pick Cole Bishop for the other spot. The competition has been complicated further with Buffalo recently adding veteran free agents Kareem Jackson and Terrell Burgess to compensate for injuries to Edwards (hamstring) and Bishop (shoulder).

Hamlin has taken nothing for granted since arriving for spring practices.

“He came back hungry,” general manager Brandon Beane said. “His focus is like, ‘I want to go win a job. I want to show I can prove that I can start and make plays.′ And so that’s been his focus, you know, ‘Micah and Jordan are gone. There’s new faces around. And don’t forget about me. I can still do it.’”

Coach Sean McDermott credited Hamlin for practicing at a consistent high level in June. And little has changed in his evaluation since training camp opened two weeks ago.

“It’s fun watching him have fun out there,” McDermott said last week. “And you can tell he means business.”

Hamlin appeared in just five games last season, in part because the Bills were easing him back in, and with Rapp signed to take over the No. 3 safety spot. Hamlin enjoyed his most playing time in 2022 by starting 13 games, filling in for Hyde who was sidelined by a neck injury.

Hamlin’s preparedness and expectations haven’t changed.

“If you go back to the day I got drafted, this article that I did, I told (the writer), ‘I don’t care if I got to carry water for this team. I just want to do whatever it takes to win,’” Hamlin said. “I trust myself. I know what I can do. I have faith in my journey. And I still know my best football is ahead of me.”

He then reflected on something he read the previous night.

“Someone was talking about letting go of what was, to become what is,” he said. “That’s a big part of my mental process as far as progressing into this season.”

Whatever reminders that linger are positive ones.

A tent at training camp offers CPR training for fans, something Hamlin began championing last year. His influence stretches further, with Ohio recently passing a law requiring automatic external defibrillators in nearly every school or sports and recreation venue.

“I’m on a mission to get all 50 states to pass that bill as well, and I won’t stop until I do,” Hamlin said. “In the same way that I’m chasing my goals on the field, that’s me chasing my goals off the field and always prioritizing my blessings of still having a life. Still being here.”