Damar Hamlin's Fundraiser Surpasses $7M Following Collapse On NFL Field

Support for Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin continues to pour in following his sudden collapse on the NFL field during Monday Night Football. 

Many watched in fear after witnessing the 24-year-old collapse in the middle of the field during the first quarter of the Monday Night Football game against the Cincinnati Bengals. He was down on the field for several minutes as medical personnel rushed onto the field and players surrounded him in support.

Medical personnel gave him CPR for 9 minutes as his heart stopped. After reviving him, Hamlin was then loaded into an ambulance and taken to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center, where he remains today.

Damar Hamlin’s uncle, Dorrian Glenn,recently spoke out, confirming the 24-year-old remains on a ventilator, but “It seems like he’s trending upwards in a positive way.”

After NFL fans watched as Hamlin fight for his life Monday evening, they came together and donations began to pour in to a GoFundMe fundraiser created by the Bills safety in 2020 -- The Chasing M’s Foundation Community Toy Drive.

Within one hour of Hamlin’s collapse, the fundraiser rose to $300,000 and within a few hours of the injury, the donations hit over $2 million.

Those numbers continue to climb as on Thursday morning, the GoFundMe has over $7 million in donations.

Some of the donations have been from NFL fans and people around the world who want to support the Bills safety, while others have been from NFL players and celebrities. Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady donated $10,000 to the fundraiser while New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft donated $18,003 on behalf of the Patriots’ organization. The reason Kraft chose that specific number is because the number 18 stands for “chai" in the Jewish faith.

Ciara also donated $13,333 to the charity with her husband, Denver Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson.

NFL's Andy Dalton, Sauce Gardner, Davante Adams, Shannon Sharpe, Andrew Whitworth, Lawrence Guy, Drake London, Mike Evans, George Kittle, Christian McCaffrey, Marcus Jones, Myles Bryant, Brian Hoyer, Lloyd Cushenberry, Trey Lance, Ryan Leaf, and Devin and Jason McCourty are some of the others who donated at least $1,000.

Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin began the online toy drive fundraiser in 2020 to raise money to purchase toys for children.

“As I embark on my journey to the NFL, I will never forget where I come from and I am committed to using my platform to positively impact the community that raised me,” he wrote at the time. “I created The Chasing M’s Foundation as a vehicle that will allow me to deliver that impact.”

Unfortunately, some people are looking to profit off Damar Hamlin’s life-threatening injury as multiple fake GoFundMe campaigns have started.

Several of these campaigns went live within one day of Damar Hamlin suffering from cardiac arrest Monday night during the NFL game. Some of the GoFundMe campaigns claim they are raising money to help with hospital bills while others are fake campaigns mocking Hamlin’s true fundraiser — The Chasing M’s Foundation Community Toy Drive.

According to a GoFundMe spokesperson, the company is working on removing all the fake campaigns.

It does seem that not all the fake fundraisers appear to be hostile and that some were created by NFL fans who truly want to help, however, they did not go through the proper steps or channels to do so.