• Faith: Catholic
• Career: Athlete
• Birthday:  March 28, 1998

Damar Hamlin is a safety for the Buffalo Bills. He played college football at the University of Pittsburgh and was selected by the Bills in the sixth round of the 2021 NFL Draft. Hamlin spent the majority of his rookie season as a backup before becoming a starter in 2022 after a season-ending injury to Micah Hyde.

During a “Monday Night Football” game in January 2023 against the Cincinnati Bengals, Hamlin suffered cardiac arrest after making a tackle. Automated external defibrillation and cardiopulmonary resuscitation were quickly administered before Hamlin was rushed to a local hospital in critical condition. After showing signs of improvement, Hamlin was transferred to a Buffalo hospital and was discharged to rehab at home after nine days. He’s since made a full recovery and intends to play football again.

Hamlin was raised in McKees Rocks, Pennsylvania and attended Central Catholic High School in Pittsburgh. He was named first-team All-State and the Class AAAA Defensive Player of the Year. Hamlin was considered a top cornerback coming out of Central Catholic High School and was a four-star recruit. He was pursued by major college football programs, including Penn State, Pittsburgh, Temple and Ohio State. He was ultimately selected by the Pittsburgh Panthers and played in three games as a freshman before suffering an injury and receiving a medical redshirt exception that year.

The Buffalo Bills selected Hamlin in the sixth round with the 212th overall pick of the 2021 NFL Draft. After playing a reserve role his first season, Hamlin became one of the Bills’ starting safeties in 2022 after Micah Hyde suffered a season-ending neck injury in Week 2. While playing the New York Jets in Week 9, Hamlin led the team with 12 tackles and a sack in the 20-17 loss. In Week 13 against the New England Patriots, Hamlin was ejected after an illegal hit on Jakobi Meyers in the 24-10 win. He was placed on injured reserve after his in-game collapse against the Cincinnati Bengals.

After Hamlin’s collapse, numerous NFL teams and players quickly offered prayers and support on social media. The next day, all 32 NFL teams changed their Twitter profile pictures to a photo of Hamlin’s jersey and text that read “Pray For Damar.” Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen urged people to “please pray for our brother.”

Is Damar Hamlin religious?

Damar Hamlin identifies with the Catholic faith. He attended a Catholic high school in Pittsburgh and openly discussed his faith. In 2021, he told a reporter regarding his charitable work, “I feel like that’s God talking to me. I really feel like that’s what my purpose is. That’s why He put me here.”