Patriots Past, Present Among Top Donors to Damar Hamlin Charity
FOXBORO — The brotherhood of NFL players continues to demonstrate that regional alliances mean little when a member of their fellowship is in need.
In a soul-warming show of support, several NFL players, including current and former New England Patriots continue to rally around Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin.
Hamlin’s charitable toy drive, The Chasing M’s Foundation, had raised in excess of $5 million in donations since the 24-year-old suffered cardiac arrest during the Bills’ Monday night game against the Cincinnati Bengals at Paycor Stadium.
Among the top donors listed on the charity’s GoFundMe page were New England’s own Devin McCourty, Myles Bryant, Brian Hoyer and Lawrence Guy, as well as ex-Patriot Tom Brady.
Hamlin established the fund in 2020 to support children impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic in his hometown of McKees Rocks, PA. His goal was to bring lasting impact to his community. The foundation supports toy drives, back-to-school drives, kids camps, and more.
During Buffalo’s Monday night matchup with the Bengals, Hamlin collided with Bengals receiver Tee Higgins after making a tackle. After briefly getting to his feet, Hamlin fell backward and was immediately attended to by medical personnel on the field. He was transported to the University Of Cincinnati Medical Center. Play was immediately stopped as first responders tended to him on the field; with the game eventually being suspended.
The NFL announced Tuesday that while the Bills- Bengals game would not resume "this week", the remainder of this coming weekend's schedule will proceed as planned.
As such, the Patriots will face the Bills on Sunday at 1 p.m. at Highmark Stadium.
While it appears that the two teams will take the field on opposing sides in Week 18, the Patriots have made it clear that they stand alongside Buffalo in wishing the best for Hamlin.
In a pair of acts of solidarity, New England joined with all 31 other NFL teams in changing their Twitter avatar to show their support.
And, as the sun set on an emotional day for NFL fans, especially in Buffalo, Gillette Stadium illuminated their facade in blue, while displaying a tribute to Hamlin on their video board.
As team owner and CEO Robert Kraft has often said, “We are all Patriots.”
Tonight, the Patriots, along with Patriots Nation, stand with Damar Hamlin.
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