On His Way to the N.F.L., Damar Hamlin Was Determined to Give Back

A statement from the N.F.L. announcing the postponement of the game said that Hamlin was in critical condition after being transported to a Cincinnati hospital.

Hamlin, 24, stepped into a starting safety role for the Bills in September after Micah Hyde suffered a neck injury that ended his season. Before making it to the N.F.L., Hamlin was a team captain and centerpiece of Pitt’s defense, leading the team in tackles and pass breakups during his senior season in 2020.

Hamlin attended Pittsburgh’s Central Catholic High School, where he was recognized as one of the best players in the state and helped lead his team to a championship in the competitive Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League. He chose to attend Pitt in part to stay close to his family, including a younger brother who was a toddler at the time. “I wanted him to just grow up with a role model in his life and to give him someone to be able to model himself after,” Hamlin told reporters.

Hamlin’s first job, at age 12, was working for his family’s cleaning business.

His mother, Nina, was reportedly at the game in Cincinnati and traveled with her son to the hospital. Within a few hours of Hamlin’s being transported to the hospital, more than 30,000 people had contributed nearly $1 million to the GoFundMe page he set up two years ago.

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/02/sports/football/who-is-damar-hamlin-bills.html