Bills DB Damar Hamlin wins the 2023 George Halas award after surviving an on-field cardiac arrest last season

Damar Hamlin suffered a cardiac arrest during a regular season game between the Bills and the Bengals on Jan 2.

Bills DB Damar Hamlin wins the 2023 George Halas award after surviving an on-field cardiac arrest last season

Damar Hamlin (Image via AP)

Earlier this year, the Damar Hamlin incident shocked the entire NFL world. The Buffalo Bills defensive back suffered a cardiac arrest on the field after colliding with the Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins. Now, a few months after the incident, Hamlin has won the 2023 George Halas Award for overcoming adversity.

On January 2, the Bills faced the Bengals in a week 16 regular season matchup in Cincinnati. During the first quarter of the game, the Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins caught a pass from his quarterback Joe Burrow and tried to gain some extra yards. He was tackled by the Bills’ defensive back Damar Hamlin.

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After the tackle, Hamlin stood up before collapsing right on the field. The Bills’ medical personnel quickly came on the field to check up on the 25-year-old safety. Furthermore, Hamlin was administered CPR (Cardiopulmonary resuscitation) by the Bills‘ athletic trainer Denny Kellington before he could be transmitted to a local hospital.

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The six-foot defensive spent a week in UC Medical Center and was transferred to Boston for further treatment. And now, nearly 5 months after the incident, Hamlin has made strong progress in his recovery and is actually thinking about returning to playing football in the future.

“This was a life-changing event, but it’s not the end of my story,” Hamlin told the reporters about his future plan on April 18. “I plan on making a comeback to the NFL.”

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Damar Hamlin named the winner of the 2023 George Halas award

Damar Hamlin Bills Damar Hamlin return
(Image via Getty Images)

Amidst his recovery progress, Damar Hamlin was honored by the Pro Football Writers Association. He was named the PFWA George Halas Award winner on Sunday. Hamlin has become the 55th winner of the George Halas Award. Some of the other finalists for the awards were the New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley, the San Francisco 49ers RB Christian McCaffrey and the Seattle Seahawks signal-caller Geno Smith.

The award is given to the people who overcome adversity on and off the football field. Last year, the Washington Commanders‘ head coach Ron Rivera won the award after he fought cancer without missing a single game during the 2022 season.

On April 18, the Bills DB Damar Hamlin announced that he has been medically cleared by his doctors to play football again. He is now trying to make a comeback in the league. There’s no clear timeline for when he will return to the league.

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