The NFL star collapsed due to commotio cordis earlier this year.

Damar Hamlin attends an event with lawmakers to introduce the Access to AEDs Act on March 29, 2023 in Washington, DC.

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Who is he? Damar Hamlin is a 25-year-old NFL safety for the Buffalo Bills, and made headlines earlier this year for collapsing on the field during a game against the Cincinnati Bengals on Jan. 2nd.

• Hamlin fell to the ground after colliding with an opposing player during that game, and didn’t get back up. He was promptly resuscitated on the field and rushed to the hospital.   
• Hamlin remained in critical condition for days, and was hospitalized until January 11th.  
•  While he has thanked the public for their support since, he only announced the cause for his frightening health scare this week. 
• His collapse garnered attention for multiple reasons; the NFL’s speedy response has been credited with helping save Hamlin’s life, and the incident was used by anti-vaccine conspiracy theorists as fodder against the COVID-19 shot.  

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What’s the big deal? This week, Hamlin announced his clearance to return to the NFL in September, with a renewed sense of purpose: raising awareness for the cardiac condition that caused his collapse in the first place.

• Hamlin attributed his collapse to commotio cordis, a rare cause of cardiac arrest, “that starts with a blow to the chest in a precise spot at just the wrong time in the heartbeat,” according to the American Heart Association. 
• After recovering and consulting with medical experts, he’s been given a clear pass to return to the game. Now, he’s focused on raising awareness, and shared his new goal: 

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