Who is Damar Hamlin, Bills player taken in ambulance on Monday Night Football?

Bills safety Damar Hamlin (3) celebrates a defensive stop on third and short against Pittsburgh in the first half during their game Sunday, Oct. 9, 2022 at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park.

CINCINNATI – In an unprecedented incident in NFL history, Monday night’s game between the Buffalo Bills and Cincinnati Bengals was suspended with 5:58 remaining in the first quarter when Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin collapsed on the field.

Hamlin made a jarring tackle on Cincinnati’s Tee Higgins after a short pass, and after getting to his feet for a second, collapsed to the turf.

Early reports are that he was given CPR on the field, and a later report indicated that as he was being transported off the field, he had a pulse but was not breathing on his own.

It is known that NFL commissioner Roger Goodell is in communication with both teams and he will make the final determination on whether the game continues.

Hamlin is a second-year player who came to the Bills as a sixth-round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft out of Pittsburgh.

This season, he became the starter at free safety after Micah Hyde suffered a season-ending neck injury in Week 2. Hamlin has been learning on the job, but was playing well given the difficult circumstances.

Hamlin is from Pittsburgh and he was college teammate of Bills cornerback Dane Jackson.

2021: Bills rookie Damar Hamlin stared down childhood adversity and now has a shot in the NFL

As a young man, he saw the worst things in life as he lost three of his close friends to bullets, senseless deaths that the police never solved. And in his own home, his father, Mario – trying to make ends meet for his wife Nina and Damar – turned to selling drugs.

Players react as medical personnel attend to Bills defensive back Damar Hamlin. Bills React

He was arrested, found guilty and spent 3 ½ of Damar’s formative years in prison, leaving his wife and son to fend for themselves.

It was more adversity than a young man should be subjected to, but despite it all, Hamlin negotiated his way through the potential pitfalls because, as he says, his parents raised him to understand the difference between right and wrong.

“I would just really give all that credit to my parents, that’s really like the biggest difference that I’ve seen in everyone’s lives that was around me growing up,” Hamlin said during an interview last year. “Just that fact of having two parents in my life that were dedicated to me and all into me, every move from being little to growing up.

Story continues

“There were times where I could have steered left or steered right but my parents were always there to straighten me out and get me back on the track. I’ve got to give out a credit to them, it really had nothing to do with me. The only thing I had to do was just listen and that’s the type of kid I was.”

Bills safety Damar Hamlin tackles Adam Thielen after a catch.

Hamlin rose above it all in high school, enjoyed a tremendous football career and earned a scholarship to Pitt, his hometown team.

His progression to the NFL was a true feel-good story given his early life circumstances.

“Some of the stories you hear from these guys, you’re like, ‘Man, that’s tough; what a tough hand this player, this person has been dealt,’” Bills general manager Brandon Beane said last year. “But what an accomplishment for Damar to avoid things. He knows people that have died or whatever but at the end of the day he’s about football, he’s a good person, and he’s going to be a good pro.”

When he first entered the NFL, Hamlin knew that he wanted to start his own foundation as a way to give back to his community, and he formed the Chasing M’s Foundation.

Here is what he wrote on the introductory page for the website in 2020:

“As I embark on my journey to the NFL, I will never forget where I come from and I am committed to using my platform to positively impact the community that raised me. I created The Chasing M’s Foundation as a vehicle that will allow me to deliver that impact.”

Chasing M’s has conducted toy drives for children, and the donations were sent to his mother Nina’s Day Care Center in his hometown of McKees Rock, Pennsylvania.

Sal Maiorana can be reached at maiorana@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @salmaiorana.To subscribe to Sal’s new twice-a-week newsletter, Bills Blast, please follow this link: https://profile.democratandchronicle.com/newsletters/bills-blast

This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Who is Damar Hamlin, Bills player injured on on Monday Night Football?