New Details Emerge About Damar Hamlin's Recovery

Since he suffered cardiac arrest on Jan. 2 and had his heartbeat restored on the field, Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin has made a remarkable recovery. That's the good news.

Not only is Hamlin back to breathing on his own and showing no signs of neurological damage, he was released from the hospital Jan. 11. He's since made "daily" appearances at the Buffalo Bills' practice facility, according to head coach Sean McDermott.

But Hamlin still has a long way to go in his recovery.

Jordon Rooney, Hamlin's friend and marketing agent, shared some new details about Hamlin's condition with the Associated Press. He said that Hamlin still requires oxygen and thus gets fatigued easily. He's also undergoing regular heart scans.

“Damar still requires oxygen and is having his heart monitored regularly to ensure there are no setbacks or after effects,” Rooney said. “Though he is able to visit the team’s facility, Damar is not in position to travel often, and requires additional rest to help his body heal.”

Rooney made clear that Hamlin is still a long way from making any sort of an attempt to return to the football field. That said, considering the near-death nature of his incident, the fact that he has progressed this well was never a given.

Rooney said that Hamlin “remains very upbeat and grateful for the support he’s received from his teammates and coaches, Bills Mafia and people from around the world.” 

The entire football world rallied around Hamlin in the days after his collapse, with fans, players and others showing their support not only via prayers and well-wishes but by flooding a GoFundMe organized by Hamlin's charity with nearly $9 million in donations.

Rooney did not say whether Hamlin would be in attendance when the Bills face the Cincinnati Bengals in Buffalo on Sunday. Hamlin has not attended the team's two games since his scare, although he has live-tweeted throughout the action. The divisional showdown will be the first matchup between the Bengals and Bills since Hamlin's collapse, which caused the NFL to suspend and then cancel the Week 17 meeting between the two teams.