Athlete Damar Hamlin has made his first public appearance following his medical emergency on 22 January.
Hamlin suffered a severe injury during a game against the Cincinnati Bengals when his heart had to be restarted twice, and was initially in critical condition.
TMZ has since reported that the athlete attended the ‘Masked Singer’ taping and made his first public appearance.
He was present to support his team and did not speak to the media, or make a statement.
Damar Hamlin made his first public speaking appearance last night on The Masked Singer. Show hasn't aired yet. His 7 year old brother is a big fan of the show. The Hamlin's were a special guest. pic.twitter.com/MdN00hlOY6
— michael j. babcock (@mikejbabcock) February 1, 2023
He had previously responded to a conspiracy theory that he died on the field and the NFL are trying to covering it up.
“I can’t tell you how appreciative I am of all the love, all the support, and everything that’s just been coming my way,” the Buffalo Bills safety, spoke out on camera for the first time since his on-field cardiac arrest, responding to conspiracy theories that he had died and been replaced by a “clone” in the biggest NFL cover-up. “What happened to me on Monday Night Football I feel is a direct example of God using me as a vessel to share my passion and my love directly from my heart with the entire world,” he said.
Despite his speedy recovery, conspiracy theorists claimed that he had passed away and been replaced by a clone.
“Exactly what a clone would say,” wrote one conspiracy theorist on Twitter, while others argued that they wouldn’t believe Damar was alive until he spoke on camera.
In response, Hamlin shared a photo of himself standing in front of a mural of himself on Twitter, accompanied by the word “Clone” in quotation marks.
“Clone” 🥷🏽 pic.twitter.com/CLpfDsNzrV
— 𝐃𝐚𝐦𝐚𝐫 𝐇𝐚𝐦𝐥𝐢𝐧 (@HamlinIsland) January 24, 2023
“This disproves nothing,” commented one conspiracy theorist. But Damar spoke on camera this week, addressing his fans in a video message, and expressing his gratitude for the love and support he has received.
“It was a lot to process within my own self – mentally, physically, even spiritually,” Damar explained, addressing why it took him so long to speak out publicly after the incident. “This is just the beginning of the impact that I wanted to have on the world, and with God’s guidance I will continue to do wonderful and great things.”
From The Heart ♥️.
-Sincerely 3💕🫶🏾!
Full video: https://t.co/cmLCEZwRA4 pic.twitter.com/6zvTDg7h1W
— 𝐃𝐚𝐦𝐚𝐫 𝐇𝐚𝐦𝐥𝐢𝐧 (@HamlinIsland) January 28, 2023
The news of Hamlin’s continued recovery has been met with relief and joy by the Bills organization and their fans.
In a statement, head coach Sean McDermott said: “We are all relieved to see Damar’s progress and he is in good spirits. He is a tough young man and we know he will continue to work hard in his recovery.”
Hamlin’s team mates also expressed their happiness at seeing him back in action. Safety Micah Hyde said: “It was great to see Damar today, he’s a warrior and it was good to see him in good spirits.”
