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Damar Hamlin had dreamed so long of playing in the NFL that when he was drafted by the Buffalo Bills in 2021, he said he’d still be happy even if his only contribution was as a water boy.
The scouting report on the star defensive back from the University of Pittsburgh said he had great instincts and a nose for the ball, but that he was undersized and perhaps a bit slow.
As a result, Hamlin had fallen all the way to the sixth round, where the Bills picked him up as the 212th overall pick.
Hamlin didn’t mind.
«I’m willing to do whatever just to be a contributor on the team, man. I don’t care if it’s I gotta pass out water at halftime,» he said to reporters after the draft. «No matter what it is, I’m willing to do it. I don’t got no pride.»
Hamlin, 24, has started 13 games for the Bills this season, including Monday night’s tragic matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals, where a seemingly routine tackle in the first quarter apparently caused him to go into cardiac arrest. He remains in the ICU at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center, according to team officials.
Before Monday, the 2022 season had been a bittersweet ride for Hamlin, filled both with the opportunity of a lifetime and uncomfortable reminders of the perils of football.
«It feels so surreal. Like I can’t even describe it. But I cherish it every second that I can, every second of every day,» Hamlin said in a Bills media interview last fall.
In his first season, Hamlin didn’t see the field much.
