NFL and Bills hero Damar Hamlin aspires to be ‘the example I never had’ away from football
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After the Bills’ Week 2 win over the Titans, Damar Hamlin offered some important perspective when asked about watching teammate Dane Jackson carry him out on a stretcher.
“Life is bigger than football,” he said. said.
On Monday night, it was Hamlin who was forced to leave the field in cardiac arrest as insurance received CPR, was taken away in an ambulance and then listed as critical by the NFL after knocking down Tee Higgins. of the Bengals.
Hamlin’s family was watching his game against the Bengals and came down the field to be with him as he was loaded into the ambulance.
On November 20, Hamlin was captured greeting his family before Buffalo’s win over Cleveland. hugging her mom Nina supposedly for him second time in that pregame.
Damar Hamlin pictured with her mother, Nina, before the Bills played the Browns in an NFL game on November 20. Hamlin has talked about how close he is to his family.
Hamlin, photographed as a young football player, has become the NFL’s latest role model.
Hamlin, number 3, collapsed playing for the Bills on Monday night moments after making a tackle and his team later confirmed the 24-year-old had gone into cardiac arrest.
The heartwarming video is representative of his commitment to family.
Born when his mother was just 16, Hamlin has said he is “extremely close” to his family and that played a role in his decision to stay close to home in college.
‘I have a little brother [Damir Hamlin]he’s six years old right now and that was probably the biggest reason I chose Pitt,” he said. News 4 Buffalo after he was drafted by the Bills two years ago.
“Just being around my family and then having my little brother around so I can be a role model for him and show him examples in life that I’ve never had,” Hamlin said.
Hamlin has spoken of being ‘an example I never had’ for his younger brother Damir (pictured)
Hamlin is known for his community work and has started a toy foundation that provides gifts to underprivileged children; here, he is seen working for the plan in December 2020.
Hamlin pictured with his parents in a retrospective Instagram post shared by the Bills player
That mission to be a role model also extended beyond his family.
Before Hamlin was a 24-year-old sophomore safety for Buffalo with 30 games under his belt, he showed a commitment to charity in his local community.
A video came up on monday night of Hamlin participating in a children’s toy drive during his time at Pitt, in which the budding player discussed his reasons for giving back.
‘Only seeing role models in person. I feel like that’s important in kids’ lives and it’s something we haven’t always had in Pittsburgh,” she said.
‘Just being younger and seeing the difference of some people who had that role model in their life.
‘It could be you, all you have to do is work hard, stay focused. I’m grateful that I can even be in this position to give back.’
Hamlin also created ‘The Chasing M’s Foundation’ to ‘positively impact the community that raised me’, with the first charity program being a holiday toy drive in December 2020.
He explained his motivation to give back at the toy drive. GoFundMe Pagewith their third annual toy drive last week.
“As I embark on my journey to the NFL, I will never forget where I came from and am committed to using my platform to positively impact the community that raised me,” he said.
Hamlin pictured alongside his mother Nina during his playing days as a child. He said he chose to stay close to home when he went to college so he could be close to his family.
Hamlin, 24 (right), earns an $825,000 salary playing for the Buffalo Bills.
‘This campaign gives you the opportunity to contribute to our first initiative and positively impact children who have been hit the hardest by the pandemic.
‘Thank you very much for supporting me on and off the pitch. I am grateful to have the opportunity to work with you to help make the holiday season a little brighter for the children of our community.’
Initially set with a goal of $2,500, the Page was flooded with donations the Monday after news of his serious injury broke, and the Page had $2.6 million in donations at the time of writing.
That’s nearly double Hamlin’s base salary of $825,000 for this season.
A quick glance at the page shows well wishes from fans of the 49ers, Cowboys, Eagles, Chiefs, Dolphins, Giants and more.
Fans waited outside the University of Cincinnati Medical Center all night after Monday’s game, hoping for good news about Hamlin’s condition.
‘Damar has always been the type of man that has made me proud to be a Pitt alumnus. This is the least he could do during this difficult time,” one person said.
Hamlin’s friend and marketing representative, Jordon Rooney, said on Twitter that “players’ vitals are back to normal,” while his agent Ira Turner told NFL Network there were “no updates on this.”
The Bills will pray that their teammate is safe.
And the Pittsburgh community will hope that a beloved figure in the community will come forward.