Inside The Panthers

Damar Hamlin Named Comeback Player of the Year Finalist

Former Pitt Panthers safety Damar Hamlin is a finalist for NFL Comeback Player of the Year.

Stephen Thompson

Damar Hamlin Named Comeback Player of the Year Finalist
Damar Hamlin Named Comeback Player of the Year Finalist /
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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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Stephen Thompson
STEPHEN THOMPSON

Stephen Thompson graduated with a bachelor's degree in communications and political science from Pitt in April 2022 after spending four years as a sports writer and editor at The Pitt News, the University of Pittsburgh's independent, student-run newspaper.  He primarily worked the Pitt men's basketball beat, and filled in on coverage of football, volleyball, softball, gymnastics and lacrosse, in addition to other sports as needed. His work at The Pitt News has won awards from the Pennsylvania News Media Association and Associated College Press.  During the spring and summer of 2021, Stephen interned for Pittsburgh Sports Now, covering baseball in western Pennsylvania. Hailing from Washington D.C., family ties have cultivated a love of Boston's professional teams and Pitt athletics, and a fascination with sports in general.  You can reach Stephen by email at stephenethompson00@gmail.com and follow him on Twitter. Read his latest work:

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