Buffalo Bills star Stefon Diggs was among the thousands of people emotional and upset when Damar Hamlin suffered cardiac arrest during a regular-season game against the Cincinnati Bengals.
There were moments when it got a bit hairy for Hamlin. He had his heartbeat restored on the field at Paycor Stadium and was rushed to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center where doctors worked on him for days. Miraculously, Hamlin was conscious, talking and moving around in a few days.
On Wednesday, NFL Players Association medical director Thom Mayer said Hamlin will be able to play football again.
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Damar Hamlin attends the 12th Annual NFL Honors at Symphony Hall on Feb. 9, 2023 in Phoenix. (Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
“I don’t want to get into HIPAA issues, but I guarantee you that Damar Hamlin will play professional football again,” Mayer said on SiriusXM Radio.
Diggs spoke to Fox News Digital on Thursday and called Hamlin’s recovery “very uplifting.”
“It’s inspiring. And it makes you believe again. We live in a real world but at times football is so much an entertainment business that you lose sight of it, it is life,” the star wide receiver said. “People are giving it everything they got and things can happen out there.
“So it kind of puts you in a different mind frame and makes you appreciate it more – appreciate the love of the game, appreciate life. It makes you feel like, damn well if this guy can do it, anybody can. To see him fight back and see all the prayers were answered, he was getting a lot of people praying for him.”
BUFFALO BILLS SAFETY DAMAR HAMLIN BRINGS PRAYER AND FAITH BACK TO THE NFL AFTER CARDIAC ARREST
Stefon Diggs, of the Buffalo Bills and AFC, competes in the Best Catch event during the 2023 NFL Pro Bowl Games at Allegiant Stadium on Feb. 5, 2023 in Las Vegas. (Jeff Bottari/Getty Images)
Diggs capped the 2022 season with a Pro Bowl appearance last week. He had 108 catches for 1,429 yards and a career-high 11 touchdowns.
The now two-time Pro Bowler enjoyed the new format that featured a series of games, including a 7-on-7 flag football competition.
“I always have a great time at the Pro Bowl, considering this is my second time going,” he said. “My first one was COVID so we couldn’t really do too much. But I will always be in attendance. I have a great time, great people, being around family, being around our fans.
“They switched it up and they did it the right way. It’s still a competition. And with the flag football game, it’s still competitive but guys can still play hard without having too much concern about getting hurt or running into a guy too hard. It still got physical but it was like good for the fans to watch and it was something that the league should keep doing.”
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Diggs got to play against his brother, Dallas Cowboys defensive back Trevon Diggs, and threw an interception to him in the flag football game.
“I can’t equate it to any other feeling – it’s a blessing,” he told Fox News Digital of playing against his brother. “My mom’s womb, she’s obviously putting out some good stuff. So a lot of credit to her. Being there with my sibling is like somebody you grew up with and you always played with. It was jokes and games before and now it’s jokes and games again.”
Stefon Diggs, #14 of the Buffalo Bills, runs to the field prior to a game against the New England Patriots at Highmark Stadium on Jan. 8, 2023 in Orchard Park, New York. (Bryan Bennett/Getty Images)
While Diggs will not be playing in the Super Bowl, he was still taking part in the festivities. He partnered with Fast Twitch, a new energy drink by Gatorade. He took part in Fast Twitch’s immersive tunnel experience. Diggs said he was smitten when he walked in and found a huge mural of himself.
He is among the NFL players who recently partnered with Fast Twitch and being with Gatorade as a whole was a dream come true for him.
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“It’s actually something I looked forward to during my career for all these years,” he said. “We grew up drinking Gatorade. It was an everyday thing. So I felt like it was sa great fir for me and something I always wanted.”
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