Damar Hamlin Nabs First Interception of Career in Emotional Moment 18 Months After Suffering Cardiac Arrest on Field

MNF/ESPN

Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin picked off Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence on Monday night, a year and a half after he nearly died on the field.

On Jan. 2, 2023, Hamlin and the Bills were playing the Cincinnati Bengals on Monday Night Football when he tackled Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins, who hit Hamlin in his chest. The Bills safety got up and then suddenly collapsed. A Cincinnati sports reporter said at the time he had been told that “Hamlin has a pulse, but is not breathing on his own.”

Forty minutes after the injury, the game was suspended. Hamlin returned to action the following season, but was limited to just five games.

Hamlin has played in each of the Bills’ first three games this season, and – fittingly, on Monday Night Football at home – he got his first career pick.

Afterward, his teammates embraced him on the sideline.

“Just a wonderful moment,” ESPN’s Chris Fowler said after he called the play. “Don’t have to be a Bills fan to appreciate this.”