Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin will be returning to Cincinnati Sunday night, about 10 months after collapsing and nearly dying during a nationally televised game.
Hamlin went into cardiac arrest early in the Bills-Bengals “Monday Night Football” matchup at Cincinnati’s Paycor Stadium on Jan. 2, leading that crucial Week 17 game to be declared a no contest.
He was rushed to the hospital in critical condition and has since been cleared to play football again.
The 25-year-old has been effusive in his appreciation of the Bills medical team and first responders in Cincinnati who played key roles in saving his life.
He’s started a charitable foundation to award scholarships to needy children in Cincinnati.
It’s unclear if Hamlin will play Sunday night. NFL teams are not required to submit their active rosters until 90 minutes before kickoff.
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Hamlin has played sparingly this season, getting into just one game so far, Buffalo’s 48-20 win on Oct. 1 against the Miami Dolphins.
The “Sunday Night Football” game is set to start at 8:20 p.m. ET and will be televised by NBC.
The scheduling of Sunday’s game is a bit of random circumstance.
NFL teams are guaranteed to play their three division opponents twice a season. The rest of the contests are based on a formula that rotates opponents and brings parity to the league, with teams playing other clubs of similar strength.
While the Bills and Bengals are not slated to meet every season, they have been consistent rivals in recent years, with Buffalo holding a 17-16 lifetime edge in a series that dates back to 1968.
