Josh Allen opened up about the “spiritual awakening” he had when doctors continued to share positive updates about Damar Hamlin’s health after the Bills safety went into cardiac arrest during a Jan. 2 game.
The Bills quarterback said he experienced a feeling he had never felt, along with his teammates, while Hamlin was in critical condition in the intensive care unit at University of Cincinnati Medical Center. Hamlin was discharged from a Buffalo, New York, hospital on Wednesday.
“It was kind of a spiritual awakening, really, for me,” Allen said during an appearance on the “Kyle Brandt’s Basement” podcast Tuesday. “I know for a lot of other people that maybe didn’t have the strongest belief, or wasn’t the biggest [or] strongest Christian followers.”
Brandt had asked Allen what his most positive moment was in the aftermath of Hamlin’s injury.
Bills quarterback Josh Allen on the “Kyle Brandt’s Basement” podcast on Jan. 11, 2023. ESPN/YouTube“To see what transpired here is a crazy, crazy feeling,” Allen said. “It’s something I’ve never felt before. It’s something that I know a lot of my teammates have never felt before, and you can’t do anything about it but accept it and lean on your brothers and share that moment with them. … It’s been crazy, it’s been not fun but at the same time it’s been very validating.”
Brandt then played a clip of an emotional Allen after Sunday’s win against the Patriots, when he used the word “spiritual” to describe Nyheim Hines’ 96-yard touchdown on the opening kickoff.
“It was just spiritual. I was going around, just something I was going around with my teammates saying, ‘God is real,'” Allen said at the time. “You can’t draw that one up, write that one up any better. And I was just told … it’s been three years and three months since the last kickoff return, so it’s pretty cool.”
Bills quarterback Josh Allen jogs onto the field wearing a Damar Hamlin shirt prior to a game against the Patriots at Highmark Stadium on Jan. 8, 2023 in Orchard Park, New York. Getty ImagesThat’s when Brandt asked Allen about his reaction to the video, which showed him pausing and holding back tears while discussing Hamlin’s situation.
“I get tears in my eyes things about it and rewatching that clip,” Allen said. “For people saying the NFL is scripted and rigged and all this, I don’t think they really understand what’s really going on.
“But again, to that point, I’ve never been struck like that before — from a play, from an experience from an emotion — it’s never hit me that way before. I’ll be the first to admit, like I haven’t been the most devoted Christ follower in my life. I’ve had my different beliefs and thoughts and ideas and stuff like that, but something got a hold of me there and it was extremely powerful that, you know, I couldn’t deny it.”
Bills safety Damar Hamlin after a game against the Tennessee Titans at Highmark Stadium on Sept. 19, 2022 in Orchard Park, New York. Getty Images
Bills safety Damar Hamlin posts a photo from his hospital bed at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center before watching Buffalo play the Patriots on Jan. 8, 2023. Damar Hamlin/Twitter
Fans look on as the ambulance leaves carrying Bills safety Damar Hamlin after he suffered cardiac arrest against the Bengals at Paycor Stadium on Jan. 2, 2023 in Cincinnati, Ohio. Getty ImagesThe 24-year-old Hamlin was released from the University of Cincinnati Medical Center on Monday and transferred to a local Buffalo hospital one week after he suffered cardiac arrest on the field against the Bengals.
Hamlin went through a comprehensive medical evaluation, as well as a series of cardiac, neurological and vascular testing on Tuesday in Buffalo, before being discharged Wednesday. He will continue his rehabilitation and recovery at home and with the Bills.
Hamlin has been communicating with the team via FaceTime, and he was on the phone to break down the team huddle after Sunday’s 35-23 win over the Patriots.
The Bills face the Dolphins in a playoff matchup on Sunday.
