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(FILES) In this file photo taken on Oct. 9, 2022, Buffalo Bills’ Damar Hamlin reacts after missing a Pittsburgh Steelers field goal during the second quarter in Orchard Park, New York. (Photo by Timothy T Ludwig/Getty Images NORTH AMERICA/AFP)
Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin had his breathing tube removed overnight, the team said Friday, and calls to teammates from the recovering 24-year-old set off a raucous celebration.
Players jumped, clapped and shouted when Hamlin emerged from the hospital bed on a FaceTime phone call during the Bills team meeting on Friday, head coach Sean McDermott said in describing the scene.
“The room went dark. It’s amazing,” said Bills General Manager Brandon Beane, who returned to Buffalo on Friday after speaking in Cincinnati to be with Hamlin. “The hair on the back of my neck stood up.”
Doctors say Hamlin is doing well after having to recover from a heart attack on the field Monday night. After making an interception in the first quarter of a game against the Cincinnati Bengals, Hamlin collapsed, requiring emergency CPR, a sight that stunned fellow players, coaches and fans.
On Friday, Hamlin told his teammates, “Love you guys,” McDermott said — a moment he couldn’t have understood a few days ago. Hamlin flexed his biceps and flashed the heart symbol with his hand as he made the call.
“It was a great exchange,” McDermott told reporters, describing Hamlin as “an infectious young man with an infectious personality.”
Beane spoke about the decision to stick with Hamlin as the team returns to Buffalo to prepare for Sunday’s regular-season finale against the New England Patriots.
“Would you want someone to do that to your son?” said.
“So we split … And that’s why I love Sean (McDermott), we got it done and he did a great job there. But it was a roller coaster.”
Doctors on Thursday said Hamlin was “showing signs of good neurological recovery” but it was too soon to comment on his long-term football prospects.
The horrifying incident on the pitch sparked an outpouring of support from fans and the football community. Donations to Hamlin’s online toy fundraiser launched in December 2020 soared in response, raising more than $7.8 million as of Friday.
The National Football League on Thursday said it will not resume the halted Bills-Bengals game even though the contest has postseason implications with both teams in the playoffs.
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