Damar Hamlin Cleared to Return to Football, Bills GM Announces

The Buffalo safety has made remarkable progress since his Jan. 2 on-field collapse.

Bills safety Damar Hamlin has been medically cleared to resume football activities only three months after going into cardiac arrest on an NFL field.

Buffalo general manager Brandon Beane said Tuesday morning Hamlin was given the okay after all three of his specialists said he was “fully cleared.”

“He is fully cleared. He’s here,” Beane told reporters. “He’s in a great headspace to make his return.”

Per GM Brandon Beane, Damar Hamlin has been cleared to resume full football activities.@HamlinIsland is in Buffalo and in a great headspace. ❤️💙 pic.twitter.com/wa2ZfGm8mX

— Buffalo Bills (@BuffaloBills) April 18, 2023

Hamlin, 25, has not played since collapsing on the field at Paycor Stadium during Buffalo’s Monday Night Football game against the Bengals on Jan. 2—a game that was later canceled. Trainers administered CPR on Hamlin on the field and in the ambulance on the way to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center. He awoke two days later and was eventually discharged from the hospital nine days after the incident.

Hamlin’s recovery made him a household name around the country, as his charitable cause was inundated with donations and his condition eventually improved enough for him to appear in the crowd at a playoff game and the Super Bowl.