Damar Hamlin Named Comeback Player of the Year Finalist
PITTSBURGH -- Former Pitt Panthers defensive back Damar Hamlin has been named a finalist for the 2023 NFL Comeback Player of the Year award, the Associated Press announced this week before the kickoff of Championship Weekend.
Hamlin, who starred for Pitt from 2016 to 2020, is up for the award alongside Browns quarterback Joe Flacco, Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield, Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford and Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoia.
If he wins, Hamlin would be the first non-quarterback to earn Comeback Player of the Year honors since Chargers wide receiver Keenan Allen took home the award in 2017. A defensive player hasn't won it since Chiefs safety Eric Berry in 2015, his first season back in the NFL after recovering from cancer.
Hamlin, a former sixth-round draft pick in 2021 by Buffalo, was a capable reserve for the Buffalo Bills in 2022, recording 91 total tackles, two passes defended and a forced fumble before going into cardiac arrest on the field at Paycor Stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio in the middle of the first half. He received life-saving medical attention on the field before being transported to UC Medical Center and recovering under the care of doctors and nurses.
Hamlin eventually made a full recovery and returned to NFL football by the start of training camp last August. He spent most of the 2023 season as a healthy inactive but played in five games during his third season as a professional, completing a remarkable comeback from an incident that shook the football world.
As he recovered, Hamlin has used the outpouring of support from around the country to build his charitable foundation and help under-served communities in his hometown of Pittsburgh and Cincinnati as well as raise awareness of how to provide immediate help to people who suffered similar heart conditions as Hamlin did during his incident.
The winner of the award will be announced at the NFL Honors ceremony in Las Vegas, Nevada on February 8. Coverage of the event begins at 9:00 p.m. EST on CBS.
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