Buffalo Bills’ Damar Hamlin reflects on first NFL playoff start after cardiac arrest

Damar Hamlin He is grateful to be experiencing an important milestone in his football career.

The 26-year-old Buffalo Bills safety made headlines when experienced cardiac arrest during a Monday night football game against the Cincinnati Bengals on January 2, 2023.

Two years later, he took the field for his first NFL playoff start when the Bills faced the Denver Broncos on Sunday, January 12.

“I’m just grateful for this moment and I just want to be able to use the platform to give God all the glory,” Hamlin. he told NFL reporter Cameron Wolfe Before the game at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park, New York.

“I’m very grateful to be able to be back in this position, to be back in the playoffs, you know what I mean, and to have a role that matters, you know what I mean, and to help my team win,” he said. continued. “So I’m very grateful. I’m very grateful and I’m sure going to give God all the glory.”

During the 2023 incident, Hamlin collapsed after tackling a player on the opposing team. Medics immediately rushed to the field to treat him, performing CPR and giving him oxygen before he was rushed to the hospital in the middle of the first quarter of the game.

While Hamlin was reported to be in “critical condition” Following the incident, he was discharged from the hospital on January 11, 2023 and returned home just a week after his collapse.

During his long recovery process, Hamlin reportedly maintained a “upbeat and positive” attitude. He even made several visits to the Bills’ practice facility and reunited with his teammates after his release from the hospital.

Never miss a story: sign up PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

On January 28, 2023, the then-recovering NFL star spoke publicly for the first time in a Instagram videoand expressed his gratitude to everyone who helped save his life during his medical emergency.

“As I continue to progress in my recovery, I think it’s finally a good time to share some things,” he said at the time. “I think it was important for me to wait and speak publicly at the right time, as it was a lot to process within myself. Mentally, physically and even spiritually.”

“I can’t express how grateful I am for all the love, all the support and everything that has come my way,” he continued. “What happened to me in Monday night football “I feel like it’s a direct example of how God uses me as a vessel to share my passion and my love directly.”

Hamlin returned to the field for an NFL regular season game on October 1, 2023. After sitting out the first three weeks of the 2023 season, the safety was used on the Bills’ special teams for kick returns. when they faced the Miami Dolphins.

during a February 2024 interview with PEOPLEHamlin reflected on his recovery and return to the NFL defying all odds.

“It was a trip. It was a trip of emotions,” he said. “It was really hard at first, but the things that got me through it were these two words right here, sitting here, just Don’t Give Up.”