Quick Take
Buffalo Bills player Damar Hamlin suffered a cardiac arrest Jan. 2 on the football field after being hit in the chest during a tackle. Hamlin was discharged from the hospital on Jan. 11 and has made several public appearances since then. But posts on social media falsely claim Hamlin died.
“One, that’s Damar’s swag. He likes wearing that,” Allen said in a Jan. 24 podcast interview. “Two, he was in the locker room with us pregame, so yes, that was Damar. There is absolutely zero chance. Absolutely zero chance. That was the Damar Hamlin. That’s our guy. That’s our brother.”
Hamlin also appears to have addressed the rumors on Jan. 23 in a tweet that showed a photo of him standing next to a mural of himself with the caption, “Clone.”
Another tweet from Hamlin shared the next day read, “Thankful for all the GENUINE love, thoughts & prayers from all across the world.. y’all will hear from me soon!”
While the cause of Hamlin’s cardiac arrest is not known, experts suspect Hamlin suffered from a rare condition called commotio cordis — an irregular heartbeat caused by a sudden hit to the chest.
Symptoms of cardiac arrest include sudden collapse, loss of consciousness, cessation of breathing and no pulse. Without immediate intervention to get the individual’s heart beating again, cardiac arrest can cause death.
Chuck Hughes, a former wide receiver for the Detroit Lions, is the only NFL player to die after collapsing on the field. Hughes had an undiagnosed heart condition and suffered a heart attack on Oct. 24, 1971, when a blood clot became detached after he was tackled.