National Football League

Damar Hamlin hosts CPR training event with Panthers, celebrates anniversary of collapse

Published Apr. 3, 2023 6:48 p.m. ET

Just over three months after Damar Hamlin's mid-game cardiac arrest on national television, the Buffalo Bills safety was all smiles in Charlotte as he joined the Carolina Panthers for a CPR and automated external defibrillator (AED) training event Monday.

The Bills' training staff reportedly used both tools to revive Hamlin after he collapsed during the team's Jan. 2 game against the Bengals in Cincinnati.

The event was hosted by Tepper Sports and Entertainment and the American Heart Association. TSE heads and Panthers owners David and Nicole Tepper were on hand for the proceedings, as was AHA CEO Nancy Brown. People trained in CPR and AED use included TSE staff members as well as some Panthers players and season ticket holders.

Hamlin told assembled media at the event that he credits CPR with saving his life and wants to continue raising awareness and helping people get CPR certified everywhere he goes. Hamlin said he instantly committed to being present for the Panthers' event after Nicole Tepper told him about it during a Super Bowl LVII festivities in Arizona in February.

"You never know when you can be that hero," Hamlin said, per the Panthers' official website.

Hamlin received ovations when introduced at both the 2023 NFL Honors and the Super Bowl itself on Feb. 12.

Damar Hamlin and Buffalo Bills medical staff receive standing ovation before Super Bowl LVII

He also took to Twitter late Sunday to commemorate the three-month anniversary to his collapse in Cincinnati, where he spent several days in intensive care before his eventual release.

Hamlin has publicly expressed a desire to eventually play football again. He met with President Joe Biden late last week as part of a visit to Washington D.C. to lobby for increased access to AEDs and CPR training.

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