Hear audio of medical personnel treating Damar Hamlin after he collapsed
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Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin has been released from the hospital and is back in Buffalo, doctors at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center announced.
Hamlin’s condition “continued to improve through the weekend” his team said after he suffered cardiac arrest during a game last week.
Longtime Buffalo Bills fans and Hamlin’s teammates expressed love for the NFL star ahead of the first home game after Hamlin’s collapse Sunday.
Our live coverage for the day has ended. Follow the latest sports news here or read through the updates on Damar Hamlin’s recovery below.
Updates
(13)
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Buffalo Bills head coach says the team has grown since Hamlin's injury
From CNN's Wayne Sterling
Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott said the team has grown since Damar Hamlin’s on-field cardiac arrest last week.
McDermott met with Hamlin Monday along with general manager Brandon Beane, head athletic trainer Nate Breske and assistant athletic trainer Tabani Richards. During their meeting, McDermott said that there is a plan in place for the players and staff to visit Hamlin “at the proper time.”
McDermott said just “having (Hamlin) nearby will give us more comfort” and inspire the team as it prepares for the postseason
Hamlin was released from the University of Cincinnati Medical Center and was transferred to Buffalo General Hospital Monday.
“Knowing that he’s well taken care of. He’s got a real medical team around him here in Buffalo and just had a chance to meet with some of those, some of their staff and very comfortable with the team that’s around him,” McDermott said. “I just think overall just continues to put our minds at ease that he’s that he’s in good hands and that he’s moving in the right direction.”
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Buffalo Bills pledge support for cardiac emergency response plans in the community
From CNN's Kevin Dotson
The Buffalo Bills organization pledged its support for developing cardiac emergency response plans in the Buffalo community, including CPR certifications and automated external defibrillator (AED) units, the team said in a a statement Monday.
The team said the response to Damar Hamlin’s collapse on the field was part of an emergency action plan that “involves team, independent medical and athletic training staff, equipment and security personnel, and is reviewed prior to every game,” the statement read.
“Each member of the EAP team performed their job as they are trained to do,” the statement read.
Read the full statement below:
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Hamlin is recovering faster than expected, doctors say
From CNN’s Brenda Goodman
Members of Damar Hamlin’s health care team said he is recovering even faster than they’d hoped.
Hamlin had his breathing tube removed early Friday morning, and by Friday afternoon, he was walking with assistance around the medical unit where he was being treated, his doctors said at a news conference Monday.
Dr. Timothy Pritts, a surgeon who has treating Hamlin at UC Health, said he is “continuing to regain strength. He’s certainly on what we consider a very normal to even accelerated trajectory from the life-threatening event that he underwent, but he’s making great progress.”
Pritts said normal recovery from a cardiac arrest could be measured in terms of weeks to months, but Hamlin “has been a little bit ahead of that at each stage.”
As they stated Thursday, Hamlin is completely neurologically intact, the doctors said.
The doctors said that in order for Hamlin to be transferred to Buffalo, they needed to be able to upgrade his condition from critical to either fair or good. His condition was upgraded this morning.
“We felt that it was safe and proper to help get him back to the greater Buffalo area,” Pritts said.
The doctors said they were able to upgrade his condition because his organ systems were stable and he no longer needed intensive nursing or respiratory therapy.
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Buffalo Bills head coach says he saw Damar Hamlin and he is happy to be back in Buffalo
From CNN's David Close
Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott speaks during a virtual press conference on January 9.
(Buffalo Bills)
Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott said it just feels right knowing injured Bills safety Damar Hamlin is now nearby in Buffalo.
McDermott said he saw Hamlin on Monday and updated how Hamlin was feeling — “He’s doing well and a little bit tired but it was good to get to see him in person for the first time in a while.”
McDermott said, “He is just tired but seems happy. Happy to be back in Buffalo and around a familiar area to him. I know he’s taking it just one step at a time.”
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"Bigger than football": Damar Hamlin tweets appreciation after heading back to Buffalo
Damar Hamlin is back in Buffalo, New York, at a local hospital after being released from the University of Cincinnati Medical Center Monday.
He tweeted his love for those who rallied around him over the course of his injury, saying, “The same love you all have shown me is the same love that I plan to put back into the world n more.”
Read the tweet:
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Hamlin set off "every alarm" in the ICU after the Bills opening touchdown, doctor says
Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin set off “every alarm” in the ICU after his teammates scored a touchdown during the opening kickoff Sunday against the New England Patriots, Dr. Timothy Pritts, chief of surgery at the University of Cincinnati hospital, said.
Pritts added that Hamlin was “beyond excited” on Sunday and felt “very supported by the outpouring of love from across the league, especially from the Buffalo area. We’ve learned this week that the Bills mafia is a very real thing.”
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It's still too "premature" to say when Hamlin could get back to normal life, doctor says
Damar Hamlin is seen during an NFL game in 2021 in New York.
(Joshua Bessex/AP/File)
Dr. Timothy Pritts, chief of surgery at the University of Cincinnati hospital, said it is “too premature” to say when Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin could get back to normal life after suffering a cardiac arrest and collapsing during a game.
“He’s making great progress, his brain and his neurological function is really normal so right now it’s just a young man recovering from a very serious illness,” Pritts said during a news conference Monday.
Hamlin is now at a local hospital in Buffalo, New York, according to Pritts.
“From our standpoint, the best way to do that is to arrange the next steps in his recovery at a local hospital,” where he will continue to see experts, Pritts added.
After that, Pritts said Hamlin will then be able to “make a transition back to home.”
“We think that he will recover well from this,” he added, pointing to the NFL star’s “positive attitude.”
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Doctor says it's too early to determine what caused Hamlin's injury
Dr. Timothy Pritts, chief of surgery at the University of Cincinnati hospital, said it is “still fairly premature” to comment on what caused Damar Hamlin’s injury a week ago during Monday Night Football.
Pritts said Hamlin will bundergo a “series of tests and evaluations” to determine what caused the incident.
On when doctors will know more, Pritts said that a “further timeline” will be determined by the hospital where Hamlin is now at in Buffalo.
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Damar Hamlin released from the hospital, doctors say
University of Cincinnati Health Physicians provide an update on Damar Hamlin on January 9.
(UC Health)
Damar Hamlin has been released from the hospital and is back in Buffalo, New York, according to his doctors at the UC Health.
Dr. William Knight IV said he traveled with him to the airport Monday morning.
Knight said Hamlin will be observed and monitored make sure the flight did change his condition or lung function. The doctor said he talked to Hamlin’s care team in Buffalo “and I can confirm that he is doing well and this is the beginning of the next stage of his recovery.”
During his stay in the hospital, Knight said Hamlin met “a number of key milestones” in his recovery, saying that the NFL star was up and walking, doing physical and occupational therapy.
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NOW: Doctors give update on Damar Hamlin's condition
Doctors at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center are giving an update on the condition of Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin.
Hamlin has been in the hospital since Jan. 2 when he suffered cardiac arrest and collapsed during a game against the Cincinnati Bengals.
Doctors say Hamlin’s condition “continued to improve through the weekend,” in a statement ahead of the scheduled update. He is expected to be released from the hospital in the coming days, a source told CNN.
On Saturday, the Bills tweeted that Hamlin continues to breathe on his own and his neurological function is excellent, but he was still in critical condition, citing his doctors. But on Sunday, the NFL star posted a photo of himself on social media that shows him sitting up in his hospital bed and making a heart sign with his hands while wearing a number 3 hat and a “Love for Damar” shirt.
CNN’s Nouran Salahieh and Coy Wire contributed reporting to this post.
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Mayor says Bills represent the Buffalo spirit as team clinches victory after Hamlin's collapse
From CNN’s Hannah Sarisohn
Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown speaks during an interview.
(CNN)
Damar Hamlin’s recovery is a needed triumph for the city of Buffalo, New York, which is overcoming a challenging year after a mass shooting and deadly snowstorm, Mayor Byron Brown said Sunday as the Buffalo Bills clinched their first win since Hamlin’s collapse on the field in Cincinnati.
“It’s a very challenging year for the city of Buffalo, a lot of tragedy in our city,” Brown told CNN after the game. “We thought it was going to be more tragedy heaped on our city.”
Brown said Hamlin’s recovery is lifting the collective spirits of the community.
Brown said the team is inspired by Hamlin as well, noting the record-breaking touchdown which started the game.
“We absolutely love the Bills in Buffalo and Western New York. They really represent the Buffalo spirit,” Brown said. “They’re tough, they’re hard-nosed. They never give up. Sometimes they’re down, sometimes they’re up, they’re never out of it.”
“And that is like Buffalo,” Brown said. “That’s the Buffalo story.”
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Bills players paid tribute to Hamlin at Sunday's home game
The Buffalo Bills carry flags onto the field displaying the number 3 in support of safety Damar Hamlin before an NFL football game against the New England Patriots on January 8 in Orchard Park, New York.
(Jeffrey T. Barnes/AP)
As the Buffalo Bills took the field for the first time Sunday since safety Damar Hamlin’s collapse during Monday Night Football, the night was filled with tributes to the NFL star and the medical personnel who helped him.
While Hamlin remains hospitalized, the Bills players said they had him with them in spirit throughout the game.
Ahead of the game, the Bills team account shared a video of special patches with Hamlin’s No. 3 getting stitched onto player uniforms for the game. As players arrived, they wore t-shirts and sweatshirts with Hamlin’s number on them.
After the Bills clinched the victory, several of Hamlin’s teammates had touching tributes to him, tweeted on the Bills’ official team account.
“On to the playoffs — we did it for 3,” Tre’Davious White said, pointing to Hamlin’s number on his jersey and his hat. “We represent for you.”
Coming back into the locker room, players held up the number 3, making clear the win was for Hamlin.
Following the win, Hamlin posted photos of a T-shirt that the sale proceeds will go to first responders and the UC Trauma Center.
The shirts are printed with the message, “Did we win?” — a reference to one of the first questions he scribbled to doctors and family members when he awoke at the hospital.
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What we know so far about Damar Hamlin's recovery
From CNN staff
The past several days brought hopeful news about the recovery of hospitalized NFL player Damar Hamlin, who is no longer relying on a breathing tube, according to his medical team.
A source tells CNN’s Coy Wire that Hamlin has shown continued progress and is expecting to be released from the University of Cincinnati Medical Center in the coming days.
Once Hamlin is discharged from the hospital, he will immediately return to Buffalo, New York.
Here’s what we’ve learned about the health of the Buffalo Bills safety, who remains in treatment at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center:
Hamlin is breathing on his own: The Bills said in a tweet that Hamlin’s breathing tube was removed late Thursday or early Friday. His doctors have said breathing on his own without a ventilator is a critical step. On Saturday, the team said Hamlin was making “continued progress” and his “neurological function is excellent.”
Hamlin is talking with loved ones: Initially, Hamlin could only write messages to family members and doctors at his bedside (including to ask who won the gameagainst the Bengals). But Hamlin is now speaking and catching up with friends by phone. He joined a Bills team meeting via FaceTime, giving a needed boost to his worried teammates.
A long road ahead: Though Hamlin’s medical team has called his recovery “remarkable” so far, they’ve also cautioned that there are many phases of treatment ahead. The Bills said Saturday that he “remains in critical condition.”
The cause of his cardiac arrest is not yet clear: Hamlin’s doctors said tests are still underway to determine what caused the medical emergency and that there are no “definitive answers” at this time. Here’s what to know about the differences between cardiac arrest, heart attack and heart failure.
Family and team staff stayed with Hamlin: Bills general manager Brandon Beane remained in Cincinnati until Tuesday night with Hamlin, and he said an assistant athletic trainer was still at the medical center as of Friday. Beane had powerful words in praise of the safety’s parents, who he said left him “in awe” with their strength.
