ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) — Damar Hamlin has reached another major milestone in his return to football.
The Bills safety was scheduled to play in Buffalo’s preseason opener against the Indianapolis Colts on Saturday. The game will mark the first time Hamlin has appeared in a competitive setting since going into cardiac arrest and needing to be resuscitated on the field during a game at Cincinnati on Jan. 2.
Hamlin's return and the game, for that matter, were placed on hold due to a thunderstorm rolling through the region. Teams left the field and fans were asked to exit the seats about 75 minutes before kickoff due to lightning nearby. It's unclear how long the delay will last.
Earlier, the NFL posted a brief video of Hamlin's arrival at the stadium on its social media account with the message saying, “Welcome back, @HamlinIsland.” In the video, Hamlin flashes his familiar heart sign and puts out three fingers to signify his jersey number as he entered the tunnel.
Lightning and a downpour aside, what seemed unfathomable in those frightening first moments, and the nine-day stay in two hospitals that followed, has approached reality for the 25-year-old Hamlin, who announced in April that he planned to resume his playing career after being medically cleared to return.
Since then, the Bills have eased Hamlin back on the field, starting with him taking part in individual drills in May, followed by team drills a week later. Two weeks ago, the third-year safety took another major step by experiencing his first thud of a hit in the Bills' first full-padded practice of training camp.
“I made the choice to play. But I’m processing a thousand emotions. I’m not afraid to say that it crosses my mind of being a little scared here and there,” Hamlin said at the time. “My faith is stronger than any fear. That’s what I want to preach up here. And that’s the message I want to spread on to the world that as long as your faith is stronger than your fear, you can get through anything.”
Hamlin said it was too early to look ahead to the preseason because he wanted to stay in the moment.
He’ll get his chance on Saturday, with coach Sean McDermott telling the AP that Hamlin is scheduled to play.
And Hamlin will have rooting support on the opposite sideline.
Receiver Isaiah McKenzie, who signed with the Colts this offseason after spending the previous four-plus years in Buffalo, has already arranged to exchange jerseys with Hamlin following the game.
After two more preseason games, Hamlin’s next hurdle will come on Aug. 29, when the Bills make their final cuts to establish their regular-season roster.
Hamlin has displayed no signs of a setback or hesitation during training camp in seeking to re-secure one of the backup spots behind returning starters Micah Hyde and Jordan Poyer.
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