The 49ers were among the many NFL teams to honor Damar Hamlin Sunday, who suffered cardiac arrest during the Buffalo Bills’ game last Monday night.
Like most NFL teams, the 49ers players wore T-shirts that say “Love for Damar” emblazoned with his No. 3 while warming up for their final regular-season game against the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday afternoon.
The team also had the “3” on the 30-yard line outlined in red to honor Hamlin and held a pregame moment asking fans to cheer for Hamlin, including a message of support on the Levi’s Stadium video board.
The news on Hamlin’s health has been mostly positive since the horrifying moment the 24-year-old safety collapsed on the field after a tackle and had to be resuscitated by team trainers during the Bills’ Monday Night Football game against the Cincinnati Bengals.
While still in critical condition at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center, Hamlin is taking major strides in his recovery. He’s off a breathing tube and breathing on his own, talking with family and friends. He’s been on the phone video-chatting with his teammates and is posting on his social media accounts.
“When you put real love out into (the) world it comes back to you 3x’s as much,” Hamlin wrote on Twitter. “The Love has been overwhelming, but I’m thankful for every single person that prayed for me and reached out. We (brought) the world back together behind this. If you know me, you know this only gonna make me stronger. On a long road, keep praying for me!”
San Francisco cornerback Ambry Thomas became friends with Hamlin during a 2016 recruiting trip to the University of Pittsburgh. The pair played together at the 2021 Senior Bowl.
“He’s energetic. He brings the juice,” Thomas said earlier this week. “He’s somebody where if you’re having a bad day, you go get next to him. He’ll find a way to bring you up.”
Fans at Levi’s Stadium made signs to support for Hamlin, too: “Love for Damar” read one displayed pregame near the field.
The Bay is with you, Damar pic.twitter.com/VWRl3dpf53
— KNBR (@KNBR) January 8, 2023
Hamlin’s own team, the Bills, earned an emotional 35-23 win over the New England Patriots earlier Sunday to clinch the AFC’s No. 2 seed. Nyheim Hines opened the game with a kickoff return for a touchdown, sending Buffalo’s Highmark Stadium into a frenzy. He later returned another kickoff for a touchdown. It had been three years and three months to the day since the Bills last returned a kickoff for a score.
“We felt it mostly pregame with everybody’s shirts on, showing love for Damar,” 49ers fullback Kyle Juszczyk said. “I saw (the Bills opening kick-return touchdown) and it lifeted me up and gave me momentum going out there.”
The Bills also held a pregame moment to honor their medical personnel, including assistant athletic trainer Denny Kellington, who was credited this week for saving Hamlin’s life by performing CPR on him.
The @BuffaloBills return the opening kick. You couldn't write this script.
📺: #NEvsBUF on CBS
📱: Stream on NFL+ https://t.co/Zuxd3911Wt pic.twitter.com/8SexEVXpTN— NFL (@NFL) January 8, 2023
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