(Reuters) – Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin was named a finalist for the National Football League’s Comeback Player of the Year award on Thursday following his return this season after suffering cardiac arrest during a January 2023 game.
Hamlin, who had his heartbeat restored on the field, made a remarkable recovery as he was discharged from hospital after nine days and cleared for full football activities three months later.
During the 2023 regular season, Hamlin played in five games for the Bills and was inactive for their other 12 but did suit up for both his team’s playoff games.
Hamlin was thrust into the spotlight last week during the Bills’ playoff loss to the reigning Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs when he was used as the ball-carrier on a crucial fake punt in which he was stopped well short of a first down.
Quarterbacks Joe Flacco (Cleveland Browns), Baker Mayfield (Tampa Bay Buccaneers), Matthew Stafford (Los Angeles Rams) and Tua Tagovailoa (Miami Dolphins) are the other finalists.
The winner will be announced at NFL Honors, the league’s primetime awards special, on Feb. 8 in Las Vegas ahead of the Feb. 11 Super Bowl.
At last year’s NFL Honors, Hamlin gave a heartfelt speech as the medical staff that helped save his life stood behind him on the stage.
Hamlin won the NFL Players Association’s Alan Page Community Award that recognizes one player who demonstrates a dedication to positively impacting his team’s city and communities across the country.
(Reporting by Frank Pingue in Toronto, editing by Ed Osmond)
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