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Damar Hamlin makes official return to NFL during Bills-Bronocs game

The Buffalo Bills safety had played in preseason games and on special teams this season, but had not yet returned to the regular season defense.

BUFFALO, N.Y. — Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin is officially back on the football field.

During the Monday Night Football game between the Bills and Broncos, Hamlin took his first regular season defensive snap since he suffered a cardiac arrest while on the field last season.

> The video above is from when Hamlin returned to practice in August.

Hamlin came in during the fourth quarter and was given a standing ovation by the crowd in Buffalo. 

He also recorded his first regular season tackle a few plays later.

Hamlin had played during the Bills preseason games and had been on special teams before Monday night. His first snap in the regular season came during a kickoff in the Bills game versus Miami on Oct. 1.

In January, Hamlin went into cardiac arrest and had to be resuscitated on the field after making what appeared to be a routine tackle during the first quarter of a game at Cincinnati.

Hamlin’s recovery has been called remarkable by doctors who treated him. He spent the first few days of his recovery in a medically induced coma at the University Cincinnati Medical Center. His motor and cognitive skills quickly returned and he spent 10 days in hospitals in Cincinnati and Buffalo before being released.

His collapse led to an outpouring of support from around the NFL and across North America, with donations made to Hamlin’s charitable organization topping more than $9 million.

Hamlin has since made numerous appearances around the country, including meeting with President Joe Biden last month. During the Super Bowl festivities in Arizona in February, he received the NFLPA’s Alan Page Community Award. He also took part in a pregame ceremony in which the NFL honored the Bills’ and Bengals’ training and medical staffs and first responders who treated the 24-year-old.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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