Josh Allen is ‘excited’ by the return of Damar Hamlin to the Bills after horror injury

The return of Damar Hamlin is a welcome sign for the rest of his teammates on the Buffalo Bills – including star quarterback Josh Allen.

Hamlin was cleared to return to football activities with Buffalo after a shocking cardiac arrest suffered during Monday Night Football on January 2 of this year.

It was confirmed that the safety suffered from commotio cordis brought on by a blow to his chest that disrupted the rhythm of his heart.

Hamlin’s injury made international headlines and his recovery was well documented – culminating in a surprise appearance during the Bills’ AFC Divisional round playoff game against the Kansas City Chiefs.

Allen, the Bills’ Pro-Bowl quarterback, praised his teammate’s determination and dedication to getting healthy enough to return to the field.

Damar Hamlin announced on Tuesday that he is planning to return to the NFL for this season

Hamlin collapsed with heart issues in front of his teammates, including Josh Allen (17)

Allen said the team ‘love[s] having him back’ and praised Hamlin for his determination

‘I haven’t gotten to see him since I saw the news,’ Allen said at a press conference. ‘We kinda work out at different times, defense goes a little earlier, we go later and switch off for meetings. So I haven’t been able to give him a big ole’ hug yet but its been good to see him in the building. 

‘Right when this thing happened, that was his mindset from the very start, “I’m gonna play again” and you’re never gonna doubt a guy like that who’s had a lot of adversity in his life and he’s continued to find ways.

‘This is just another obstacle that he’s been able to get around and push forward. Super excited for him, super excited for our team. He’s a heck of a football player and we love having him back.’

Hamlin had a press conference earlier in the day, addressing the media on his recovery and return.

‘I’m thankful and I’m blessed,’ Hamlin began. ‘I’m blessed to have a wonderful medical staff and wonderful trainers here, who treat me with the care of their children. That tender love and care just gives me confidence, faith, strength, just all the wonderful things to just keep going in this journey I’ve been on so far…

‘Over these last few months, I’ve been on a journey and I’ve seen some of the top professionals across the country. Their answers to me were pretty much all the same. … This event was life changing, but it’s not the end of my story, so I’m here to announce that I plan on making a comeback to the NFL.

‘The diagnosis of pretty much what happened to me was basically commotio cordis. It’s a direct blow at a specific point in your heartbeat that causes cardiac arrest. Five to seven seconds later, you fall out and that’s pretty much what everyone was seeing January 2 of this year. 

Hamlin says he suffered from commotio cordis after this hit, which caused cardiac arrest

‘Commotio cordis is the leading cause of death in youth athletes across all sports. So that’s something I will personally be taking a step in to make a change. And also, with that being said, all the awareness around CPR and access to AEDs have been lowering that number as well.

‘My heart is still in it. My heart is still in the game. I love the game. It’s something I want to prove to myself, not nobody else. 

‘I just want to show people that fear is a choice, that you can keep going in something without having the answers and without knowing what’s at the end of the tunnel. 

‘You might feel anxious. You might feel any type of way, you know, but you just keep putting that right foot in front of the left one and you keep going. I want to stand for that.’