Inside The Panthers

Pitt Football: Damar Hamlin Wants to Play Again

Former Pitt Panthers safety wants to get back on the field someday.

Stephen Thompson

Pitt Football: Damar Hamlin Wants to Play Again
Pitt Football: Damar Hamlin Wants to Play Again /
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PITTSBURGH -- Former Pitt Panthers safety Damar Hamlin didn't lose his competitive edge during his recovery from cardiac arrest. He told Michael Strahan in an interview that aired on Fox during the Super Bowl LVII pregame show that he does want to play football again someday. 

"Eventually. That's always the goal, like I said, as a competitor, you know, I'm trying to do things to keep advancing my situation," the former Pitt defender, Hamlin said. "But I'm allowing that to be in God's hands. I'm just thankful he gave me a second chance."

Hamlin said attending the Bills-Bengals playoff game in Buffalo, New York last month made him "uneasy". After he was injured in the last meeting between these two teams, Hamlin felt the urge to help his team with more than just his support from the stands. 

"It was kind of a feeling of, I wish I could do more," Hamlin said.

Hamlin said his doctors are more concerned with getting him back to normal life before they worry about his football career. He said they don't know when or if he'll be fit to play again and if he does choose to revive his playing career, it will be a long road back. 

"It's a tough situation," he said. "They can't really tell, because it's like -- it's an up-to-me thing I guess or, you know, it's just -- it's a long road. They're just worried about trying to get me back to normal as much as they can."

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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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