Damar Hamlin 'Fully Cleared' to Play Football After Suffering Cardiac Arrest

The Buffalo Bills’ player Damar Hamlin, 25, is back to work after collapsing on the field in January.

Hamlin suffered cardiac arrest at the game against the Cincinnati Bengals and had to be resuscitated.

On Tuesday, the Bills announced he was "fully cleared" to return, and Hamlin spoke with reporters, explaining what happened that day.

Damar said, “The diagnosis of what happened to me was commotio cordis."

He continued, “It’s a direct blow at a specific point in your heartbeat that causes cardiac arrest. Five to seven seconds later, you fall out, and that’s pretty much what everybody’s seen January 2 of this year. Commotio cordis is the leading cause of death in youth athletes across all sports, so that’s something that I will personally be taking a step in to make a change.”

As for returning to the game, he said, “My heart is still in it. My heart is still in the game. I love the game. It’s something I want to prove to myself, not nobody else. I just want to show people that fear is a choice and you can keep going in something without knowing what’s at the end of the tunnel. You might feel anxious or any type of way, but you just keep putting your right foot in front of the left foot and you keep going.”

Earlier, Bills GM Brandon Beane confirmed to reporters that Hamlin would return to the NFL and has already joined the team for their offseason program.

Beane said, ”He is cleared to resume full activities just like anyone else that was coming back from an injury,” adding, “He’s fully cleared. He’s here. And he is of the mindset — he’s in a great headspace — to come back and make his return.”