Damar Hamlin makes emotional return to stadium where he suffered cardiac arrest, fans call it 'surreal'
CINCINNATI, OHIO: Powerful and emotional scenes were witnessed inside Paycor Stadium on Sunday, November 5, when Bills Safety Damar Hamlin returned to the empty midfield.
He was recorded falling to his knees at the spot where he suffered a cardiac arrest on January 2.
Hamlin, 25, collapsed on the field before having a collision with Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins, running the ball, who hit Hamlin with his helmet during the game, WLWT5 reports.
Damar Hamlin spent 15 minutes near the logo alone in the Stadium where he collapsed in January
Olivia Ray, a sports journalist, first shared the clip on 'X' which showed Damar Hamlin on the field post-game falling to his knees at the spot where he had collapsed.
Ray revealed that Hamlin spent nearly 15 minutes near the logo alone.
She posted, "Damar Hamlin is alone on the field at Paycor Stadium postgame. An emotional scene as Hamlin spends nearly 15 minutes at the logo in Cincinnati.
Damar Hamlin is alone on the field at Paycor Stadium postgame. An emotional scene as Hamlin spends nearly 15 minutes at the logo in Cincinnati.@WLWT | #Bengals pic.twitter.com/FJhma2l8wW
— Olivia Ray (@OliviaRayTV) November 6, 2023
Fans reacted to the 'surreal' moment by sharing, "Man he deserves this so bad. Happy to see him here. [It] must’ve been so surreal," one 'X' user reacted.
One wrote, "A symphony of thoughts" while another commented, "Glad he's doing ok!" A third user wrote, "This has a touch of magic."
Man he deserves this so bad. Happy to see him here. Must’ve been so surreal
— eruj (@erujabidi) November 6, 2023
Damar Hamlin reacted by saying that people don't know half of what he had endured
Damar Hamlin who did not play the Sunday night, November 5, game between Cincinnati Bengals and Buffalo Bills at the Paycor Stadium reacted to Ray's post.
Hamlin said the moment was everything to him. He wrote, "Tonight was everything for me.. y’all don’t know the half of it. Trust me."
Tonight was everything for me.. y’all don’t know the half of it. Trust me. https://t.co/eQGkrqtZK0
— 𝐃𝐚𝐦𝐚𝐫 𝐇𝐚𝐦𝐥𝐢𝐧 (@HamlinIsland) November 6, 2023
Fans reacted to his post by saying they were happy that he had an opportunity to share what he had been through.
One fan wrote, "Life is a crazy journey. I trust that I don't know anything about what you've been through. But I'm glad you have the opportunity to share what you've been through and all you've learned."
One more wrote, "Wish you could've played man. Really happy to see you doing better." Another one wrote, "u deserve it all. best sports story in history."
Life is a crazy journey.
— Drew Wash (@drewwash) November 6, 2023
I trust that I don't know anything about what you've been through.
But I'm glad you have the opportunity to share what you've been through and all you've learned.
Wish you could've played man. Really happy to see you doing better.
— Omar | Ball Knower 🏈 (@KnowerOmar) November 6, 2023
Damar Hamlin says he's 'got a long journey to go'
Hamlin was resuscitated on the field by the Bills and Cincinnati Bengals medical teams before being taken to the hospital where he was put in intensive care for 10 days.
"I got a long journey to go, but I'm committed to it each day," said Hamlin back in April. "So I thank everybody for being on this journey with me," he added.
During the presser, he revealed he was diagnosed with commotio cordis.
He described the condition as "a direct blow at a specific point in your heartbeat that causes cardiac arrest, and five to seven seconds later, you fall out."