It was just a regular Monday night. The Buffalo Bills were in Cincinnati for a massive showdown against the Bengals. If you were watching, you remember the hit. It looked like a million other tackles we see every Sunday.
Damar Hamlin, a young safety who’d finally earned his starting spot, stepped up and hit Tee Higgins. He stood up. He adjusted his face mask. Then, he just... collapsed.
Basically, the world stopped.
I’ve watched football for decades, and you usually see guys go down with knees or ankles. This was different. The way he fell backward—motionless—sent a chill through every living room in America. For about ten minutes, we weren't watching a game anymore. We were watching a 24-year-old kid fight for his life on national television.
What happened to Damar Hamlin on the field?
So, what actually happened? Medical experts eventually diagnosed it as commotio cordis. It sounds like something out of a textbook, and honestly, it’s about as rare as a lightning strike.
It wasn't a "heart attack" in the way we think of older people having clogged arteries. It was a freak accident of physics. When Higgins' shoulder hit Hamlin’s chest, it landed at the exact millisecond—literally a 40-millisecond window—when the heart is resetting its electrical signal. That tiny, blunt force impact threw his heart into a chaotic rhythm called ventricular fibrillation.
His heart didn't just slow down. It stopped pumping blood.
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He died on that field. That’s not being dramatic; it's what he says himself. If Denny Kellington, the Bills’ assistant athletic trainer, hadn't jumped into action with immediate CPR, we wouldn't be talking about a "comeback" right now. We’d be talking about a tragedy.
The minute-by-minute battle in Cincinnati
The scene was surreal. Players from both teams were crying, kneeling, and shielding the medical staff from the cameras. You don't see that. NFL players are tough, but they were terrified.
Hamlin was resuscitated once on the field and, according to some reports, his heart stopped again at the hospital. He spent days in the University of Cincinnati Medical Center in critical condition. He was intubated. He couldn't talk.
The first thing he did when he woke up? He grabbed a pen and wrote, "Did we win?"
The doctor’s response was legendary: "Yes, Damar. You won the game of life."
But the road back wasn't just about the heart. It was the head. Think about the trauma of knowing you "died" doing your job and then deciding to go back and do that same job again. His parents were understandably hesitant. His dad, Mario, even told him to slow down. But for Damar, getting back on the field was the only way to feel like himself again.
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Why 2026 is a turning point for Hamlin
Fast forward to where we are now in early 2026. If you’ve been following the Bills this season, you know it’s been a bit of a roller coaster.
Hamlin isn't just a "feel-good story" anymore. He’s an NFL veteran dealing with the same grind as everyone else. Lately, things have been tough. He spent a significant chunk of the 2025 season on injured reserve with a pectoral injury. It’s frustrating. After surviving a cardiac arrest, a pec strain feels like a minor annoyance, but in the NFL, it’s the difference between starting and being a "healthy scratch."
Honestly, his future in Buffalo is a bit up in the air right now.
- Contract Status: His current deal is ending.
- The Depth Chart: The Bills have some young talent like Cole Bishop moving up.
- The "Damar Effect": He’s a hero in Buffalo, but the NFL is a business.
There is a very real chance he’ll be wearing a different jersey in 2026. Some insiders think he might look for a fresh start with a team where he can be a definitive starter, rather than a rotational player. He’s proven he can still play—he recorded 41 tackles in 2024 and showed he still has the range.
The legacy beyond the tackle
Whether he stays in Buffalo or moves on, what happened to Damar Hamlin changed the culture of sports.
You’ve probably seen the "Chasing M’s" foundation by now. He’s used his platform to put thousands of Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) into schools and community centers. He even went to Congress to push for better emergency protocols in youth sports.
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It’s crazy to think that a tackle on a Monday night in 2023 led to laws being passed in 2025 and 2026 that will literally save kids' lives for the next fifty years.
What you should do next
If you really want to honor the "Damar Effect," don't just read about it. Here is the reality: commotio cordis is 97% fatal if it isn't treated within three minutes. Most of us aren't NFL trainers with an ambulance 20 yards away.
Learn Hands-Only CPR. You don't need a certificate or a week-long course. You can learn the basics in a five-minute YouTube video from the American Heart Association. Basically, you push hard and fast in the center of the chest to the beat of "Stayin' Alive."
Locate the AED at your gym or school. Next time you go to the local YMCA or your kid’s high school, look for the little white box on the wall. They are designed for people with zero medical training. The machine literally talks to you and tells you exactly what to do.
Damar Hamlin is still here because someone knew where the AED was and didn't wait for a doctor to start pushing on his chest. That’s the most important part of this whole story.
Actionable Steps for Sports Parents and Coaches:
- Check for an EAP: Ask your child’s league if they have an Emergency Action Plan. Who calls 911? Who grabs the AED?
- Advocate for AEDs: If your local park doesn't have a portable AED at the sidelines, bring it up at the next board meeting. Many grants, including those from Hamlin's own foundation, help cover the costs.
- Get Trained: Sign up for a 2-hour BLS (Basic Life Support) class this weekend. It’s the most valuable skill you’ll never want to use.