Inside The Panthers

Joe Flacco Endorses Damar Hamlin for Major NFL Award

Joe Flacco said former Pitt Panthers defensive back Damar Hamlin deserves to win Comeback Player of the Year.

Stephen Thompson

Joe Flacco Endorses Damar Hamlin for Major NFL Award
Joe Flacco Endorses Damar Hamlin for Major NFL Award /
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PITTSBURGH -- Former Pitt Panthers safety Damar Hamlin is a finalist for one of the NFL's most prestigious awards and even one of his competitors believes Hamlin should be the winner. 

Browns quarterback Joe Flacco - at one time a Pitt player himself - told CBS Sports Radio's Zach Gelb that Hamlin deserves to win 2023 NFL Comeback Player of the Year. Flacco and Hamlin are both finalists for the award alongside Matt Stafford, Baker Mayfield and Tua Tagovailoa. 

"I think we can probably go through most of the guys on that list besides Damar - I don't necessarily know if we're coming back from anything," Flacco said. "For sure [Damar should win]. I don't know how many snaps he played but I think mentally, to get yourself back to the point where you feel comfortable doing that kind of thing and obviously the physical part - you don't need any explanation there but I think mentally, to get yourself ready to go back out there, feel good doing what we do, especially at his position, I think is pretty cool."

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.

Flacco even expressed some surprise that he was nominated for the award, further emphasizing his notion that Hamlin is the worthy winner.

"I don't necessarily know what I'm coming back from," Flacco said. "I would say most of the guys on that list, I don't know what we're coming back from so that's probably my initial reaction. But I think anytime that you're getting recognized in this league for playing well, I guess, it can be flattering. It's a cool group to be a part of, that's for. ... I'm just coming back from what? Being old and not being on a team for a couple months."

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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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