Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin refused to comment when he was asked during an interview with ABC News about what caused him to go into cardiac arrest last month.
The Bills were down 7-3 to the Cincinnati Bengals when Hamlin tackled wide receiver Tee Higgins in the first quarter on Jan. 2.
He stood up briefly after the play and then collapsed after what appeared to be a routine collision. Hamlin was revived on the field and transported to a local hospital. The game was canceled.
The 24-year-old recovered in an area hospital before he was eventually released on Jan. 9.
Hamlin sat down with “Good Morning America,” on Monday where he told Michael Strahan he is thankful for the medical professionals whose work kept him alive.
“Things could have went differently, and the details of the situation of everything that happened on the field, it could have been the last of me,” he said.
Hamlin added he prepared for the game in Cincinnati just as he would any other.
“Just trying to get a win,” he said as he and his teammates prepared themselves for a playoff run.
Hamlin was hesitant when Strahan asked him about what the medical team thought of his on-field collapse. The interviewer noted he was in great shape physically.
“You’re 24, peak physical condition, could run circles around me right now,” Strahan said.
The interviewer then asked Hamlin, “How did the doctor describe what happened to you?”
“Umm,” Hamlin said before he took an awkward nine-second pause.
He eventually concluded, “Umm, that’s something I want to stay away from.”
Strahan dove a bit deeper and asked Hamlin if he had ever experienced any heart problems in the past.
Hamlin responded, “Honestly, no. I’ve always been a healthy, young, fit, energetic human being, yet alone athlete.”
The player said his doctors are still in the process of diagnosing what went wrong. He hopes to make a return to football in the near future.
Story cited here.
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