Damar Hamlin Back At Buffalo's Practice Facility "Almost Daily" Weeks After Collapse

Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin is continuing to show remarkable improvements since his collapse during Monday Night Football's Buffalo Bills vs Cincinnati Bengals game weeks ago.

The world watched in fear on January 2 as the 24-year-old suddenly collapsed and was down on the field for several minutes. Medical personnel rushed out and gave him CPR for 9 minutes before being loaded into an ambulance and taken to a hospital in the Cincinnati area.

Hamlin was released from the hospital a few days ago and has been at Buffalo's practice facility "almost daily" according to Bills head coach Sean McDermott.

During a meeting on Wednesday with the media, Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott said Damar Hamlin is now back at Buffalo's practice facility "almost daily," adding that he is "just trying to get back to a little bit of a routine."

Hamlin is not ready for meetings or for full days of work or practice, but he is coming to the facility to support his teammates during the playoffs. "Just getting himself acclimated again and taking it one step, one baby step at a time here," the head coach told media.

At this time, it is still unclear if Hamlin will attend the Bills vs Bengals playoff game on Sunday. "[He's] just kind of getting himself -- dipping his toe back in here," McDermott said, "and, you know, getting on the road to just getting back to himself."

After NFL fans watched as Damar 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, January 19, the GoFundMe has nearly $9 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.

Before his hospital release, Hamlin took to Instagram to thank his fans for their endless love and support, and most importantly, their prayers.

"When you put real love out into the world it comes back to you 3x’s as much.. ??????," Hamlin wrote. "The Love has been overwhelming, but I’m thankful for every single person that prayed for me and reached out. We brung the world back together behind this. If you know me you know this only gone make me stronger. On a long road keep praying for me! ??❤️3️⃣ #3strong"

The Buffalo Bills will take on the Cincinnati Bengals this Sunday in the divisional round of the NFL playoffs.