Damar Hamlin 'fully cleared' to play football again just 3 months after scary, on-field collapse

Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin has been "fully cleared" by medical professionals to return to professional football, the team has confirmed.

General Manager Brandon Beane shared the good news at a press conference on Tuesday morning. Hamlin is "cleared to resume full activities just like anyone else who is coming back from an injury," Beane stated.

Beane explained that Hamlin remains in touch with medical specialists, who have all approved Hamlin for a full return to play. "They're all in agreement," Beane said. "...They're all in lockstep" that Hamlin should be able to play without further restrictions.

"He's fully cleared, he's here, and he's ... in a great headspace to come back and make his return," Beane concluded.

"Glad to have you back, 3," the team tweeted on Tuesday in support of Hamlin, who wears number 3.

Hamlin's full clearance seems like a fitting conclusion to a recovery that some have described as "miraculous." On January 2, Hamlin appeared to make a routine tackle on Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins. However, shortly after the tackle, Hamlin collapsed to the ground, prompting medical personnel to perform life-saving measures on the field in Paycor Stadium. Reports indicate that Hamlin had to be resuscitated twice that night, once on the field and once later at the hospital. The game was ultimately canceled.

At just 24 years old, Hamlin had gone into cardiac arrest and was initially listed in critical condition. However, within days, he was communicating with teammates via FaceTime, and before the end of the month, Hamlin had already released a video which showed him in good health and in good spirits.

Hamlin's health scare quickly took on a religious component. The day after Hamlin's collapse, ESPN host Dan Orlovsky spontaneously led fellow "NFL Live" panelists in prayer for Hamlin's recovery, and players from around the league soon began wearing warm-up shirts that read, "Pray for Damar." Bills quarterback Josh Allen claimed that the team experienced a "spiritual awakening" soon after the incident, and after his release from the University of Cincinnati Medical Center, Hamlin made several public appearances praising God for his recovery and for those who have assisted him along the way.

"What happened to me on Monday Night Football, I feel, is a direct example of God using me as a vessel to share my passion and my love directly from my heart with the entire world," he said.

Hamlin, Allen, and the rest of the Bills likely have high expectations for themselves next year after falling short again last season. On January 21, less than three weeks after Hamlin's collapse, the Bills had their Super Bowl aspirations thwarted for the second year in a row when they lost to the Bengals in the divisional round of the playoffs. NFL schedules for the 2023-24 season have not yet been released, but the Bills will likely begin their season in the first or second week of September.

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