The NFL announced that it plans to show support for Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin with tributes during all Week 18 games.
All teams will participate in a pregame moment of support, painting Hamlin's No. 3 on the 30-yard line and wearing pregame shirts displaying "Love for Damar 3" while Bills staff will wear "3" lapel pins. The Bills will also wear "3" jersey patches.
Hamlin is breathing on his own and able to talk after having his breathing tube removed — the latest step in his remarkable recovery in the four days since going into cardiac arrest and being resuscitated on the field during a game against the Cincinnati Bengals.
In a Friday statement, the Bills said Hamlin's "neurologic function remains intact and he has been able to talk to his family and care team."
Hamlin even joined the Bills' team meeting on Friday morning via videoconference, and told them "love you boys."
"I probably won't be able to do it justice," Bills coach Sean McDermott said Friday, "but just to see Damar, No. 1, through my own eyes, it was something I was hoping to see and kind of something I needed to see ... and to see the players' reaction, they stood up right away and started clapping for him and yelling some things."
McDermott said he kept it a secret from the team before announcing he had "a treat in store" for them — putting Hamlin on the big screen in the meeting room.
"He's just an infectious young man with an infectious personality," McDermott said.
Hamlin's recovery continues to trend in a positive direction after his heart stopped while making what appeared to be a routine tackle in the first quarter of a game against the Bengals on Monday night. The second-year player spent his first two days in the hospital under sedation to allow his body to recover, and on a ventilator to assist his breathing.
The Bills were uplifted by the encouraging medical reports as they returned to practice Thursday in preparation to play a home game against the New England Patriots on Sunday.
With files from The Associated Press
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