I decided that instead of giving my younger siblings an envelope with cash or a gift card for Christmas this year, I would take them out, and we could all do something together. So, we went to Ed Debevic’s for dinner and then decided to try out axe throwing after. I planned on staying off of Twitter and watching the Bills-Bengals game when I got home, so I was prepared to write about it today.
Shortly after tragedy struck in that game unbeknownst to me, I got a call from my dad, who knew what my plans were but advised me to check Twitter and gave me the cliff notes. I was speechless last night. I still don’t have much to say about the horrific injury that Damar Hamlin sustained last night, other than he and his family are in my thoughts today.
Here’s the latest information on Damar Hamlin’s condition:
The Buffalo Bills released a statement overnight regarding Hamlin’s condition. Nothing has been released by either the Bills or the NFL this morning, so this is the latest update:
Former NFL defensive back Darrell Revis was among the many in and around the sports world who rallied for support for Damar last night on social media. Most of the responses to last night’s tragedy were supportive and humane. It was one of the rare times that everyone on Twitter seemed to be united.
Many asking how they could help in the immediate aftermath were directed to Hamlin’s Go Fund Me page for his Christmas toy drive, which has an original goal of $2,500 and is nearing $4 million raised as of this morning.
Our friends at Obvious Shirts have the link to that Go Fund Me in this tweet if you want to donate, and of course, they’re doing their part by donating all of today’s sales to the fund, so going to Obvious Shirts to purchase some merch today would be helpful as well.
I’ll tell you what, I’ve never had the pleasure of meeting Joe from Obvious Shirts, but I can’t wait to shake his hand. Every time there’s an avenue for him and his business to drum up support for a cause, he does it. I have taken a passion for and respect the hell out of that type of philanthropic behavior, especially in times of need. So, hats off to Joe and the team at Obvious Shirts for again going above and beyond.
I’ve got all day to talk about the Bears, and I have some stuff planned, but honestly, this space this morning will mainly be dedicated to Damar Hamlin. It just feels like the right way to handle things this morning. I’m going to share some things I found on Twitter that shed some light on who Damar Hamlin, the human behind the helmet and pads, is.
Here’s a photo of Hamlin with a local youth picking out a toy from Hamlin’s toy drive even before Hamlin was in the NFL. This photo was taken when Hamlin was at the University of Pittsburgh.
Buffalo Bills radio network pregame host Joe DiBiase shared a clip for Damar’s YouTube channel of a previous toy drive back home in Pittsburgh, where he explained the importance of his mission and the impact he hopes to make on the kids in his community:
Another clip from a Twitter user highlighting the work of Damar’s foundation:
Family friend Jordon Rooney spoke with Good Morning America this morning and said the Hamlin family is “in good spirits” this morning.
A statement this morning from the Hamlin family:
We will bring you the latest on Damar Hamlin the moment it becomes available, but for we’re going to shift gears here for a bit and hit on some Bears bullets.
The Bears can pick as high as No. 1 or as low as No. 4, depending on how things shake out this week. But ultimately, losing to Minnesota is a must for the Bears if they want to remain in the top two.
You have no idea how tired I am of hearing about Jim Harbaugh potentially, maybe, possibly, probably not, but for sure, definitely, returning to the NFL that I am. But here we are, again:
Justin Fields can make some history this week against the Vikings!
Yo! This Connor Bedard kid is insanely good!
So is Donovan Mitchell, who scored 71(!) points on the Bulls last night!
Patrick grew up in Chicago's Bridgeport and Garfield Ridge neighborhoods before moving to the Western Suburbs of Chicago before eventually relocating to the Las Vegas area with his family in 2023. He started with Bleacher Nation in 2021 and has spent time as a Staff Writer and on the Chicago Blackhawks beat. He is currently a writer and editor at Bleacher Nation covering the Chicago Bears and the NFL at large and the author of the Bleacher Nation Newsletter. Patrick is a member of the Pro Football Writers of America (PFWA).
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