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Damar Hamlin released a video Saturday in which he says he’s thankful for the outpouring of support and vows to pay it back, marking the first time the Buffalo Bills safety has spoken publicly since he went into cardiac arrest and needed to be resuscitated on the field in Cincinnati on Jan. 2.<\/p>\n
Hamlin said now was \u201cthe right time\u201d to speak after the Bills’ season ended and because he needed time to recover and gather his thoughts.<\/p>\n
“It was just a lot to process within my own self \u2014 mentally, physically, even spiritually. It\u2019s just been a lot to process,\u201d he said. \u201cBut I can\u2019t tell you how appreciative I am of all the love, all the support and everything that\u2019s just been coming in my way.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hamlin then said he has come to peace with what happened on the field when he collapsed after making what appeared to be a routine tackle of Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins, who struck Hamlin squarely in the chest.<\/p>\n
“What happened to me on \u2018Monday Night Football,\u2019 I feel is a direct example of God using me as a vessel to share my passion and my love directly from my heart with the entire world,\u201d he said in a 5 1\/2-minute video posted on his Instagram account. <\/p>\n
\u201cAnd now I\u2019m able to give to kids and communities all across the world who need it the most. And that\u2019s always been my dream,” he added. “That\u2019s always been what I stood for and what I will continue to stand for. \u201d<\/p>\n
Titled \u201cThank You: A message from Damar Hamlin,\u201d the video opens with Hamlin walking into view, placing down a jacket and taking a seat in a dimly lit room with the word `Bills\u2019 prominently displayed behind him. Hamlin shows no after-effects of the injury while wearing a white T-shirt with the name of his charitable foundation, Chasing Millions, printed on the front and with a gold chain with the initials \u201cDM\u201d hanging around his neck.<\/p>\n
Hamlin also thanked his teammates, training staff, and the medical staff at both the University of Cincinnati Medical Center and Buffalo General Medical Center, where he split his recovery. He also thanked those who donated more than $9 million to his charity over the past four weeks.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhile I\u2019m so thankful to everybody, I know that it isn\u2019t enough just to be thankful. This is just the beginning of the impact that I wanted to have on the world,\u201d Hamlin said in closing the video by making a heart sign with his hands. <\/p>\n
\u201cI couldn\u2019t do this without any of this support and the love,” he continued. “And I can\u2019t wait to continue to take y’all on this journey with me.\u201d<\/p>\n
___<\/p>\n
AP NFL: https:\/\/apnews.com\/hub\/nfl and https:\/\/twitter.com\/AP_NFL<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emailsSign up to our free breaking news emails Damar Hamlin released a video Saturday in which he says he’s thankful for the outpouring of support and vows to pay it back, marking the first time the Buffalo […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1654,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[173],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1653","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\n