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Bills safety Damar Hamlin was nervous on Saturday, but not because he was doubting his decision to return to game action for the first time since going into cardiac arrest during a January 2 game in Cincinnati.
After the Bills faced the Colts in their preseason opener, Hamlin told reporters that he was always nervous before games and that it was a good thing because “that means you care” about what you’re doing. Hamlin made his first appearance of the game on kickoff coverage in the first quarter and then ended the subsequent Colts drive by tackling running back Evan Hull short of the line of scrimmage on a fourth-and-one play.
Hamlin finished the day with three tackles and called the experience “super fun” when it was over. Hamlin also said that neither last year’s emergency nor his pre-game jitters did anything to give him pause once he took the field.
“I made the choice that I wanted to play, it wasn’t nobody else’s choice but mine,” Hamlin said, via the team’s website. “So making that choice, I know what comes with it. So, you see my cleats laced up and my helmet and shoulder pads on, there ain’t gonna be no hesitation because you can’t play this game like that. You’ll put yourself at more risk by hesitating. I’m out there and I’m just not thinking twice, I’m just playing my game.”
Hamlin said he feels “chosen” because he had the opportunity to overcome a major challenge “and then still be here to tell the story of it” by continuing his playing career. That journey continues with practice this week and a trip to Pittsburgh next Saturday.
