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Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin told President Biden he believes he will be able to play again after suffering cardiac arrest in January.
Biden met with Hamlin on Thursday, nearly three months after the NFL star went into cardiac arrest and was resuscitated on the court after a tackle during a MNF game.
In a video shared by the POTUS Twitter account on Friday, the president can be seen welcoming Hamlin to the Oval Office.
The couple enjoyed throwing a pigskin back and forth as Biden called the play to safety before they sat down to chat.
With the Hamlin family also gathered at the office, the 25-year-old Biden asked if he thought there was a chance to play again.
Demar Hamlin (left) told President Biden (right) that he thinks he’ll be able to play again
“Yes, I think so,” Hamlin replied, leaving the chief “happy.”
The safety then unveiled a Bills jersey with Biden and his number three on the back as a gift to the President.
Biden then had Hamlin sit at the Resolute Desk and sign the back of the shirt joking, “Mr. President did you sign my shirt?”
However, it is not confirmed that Hamlin will be able to return to action as he is still being tested, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
It is also not entirely up to him to decide but the organization as well.
“It’s a decision for Damar but also for us,” GM Brandon Bain Beals told NFL reporters.
After their meeting on Thursday, Biden tweeted a photo of himself with Hamlin in the Oval Office and said it was an honor to meet Hamlin and his family. In the photo, Hamlin is seen holding a Bills jersey in his lap.
Number 46 wrote: “Hamlin’s devastation, courage, resilience, and spirit have inspired the American people.” And what’s more: He’s turned recovery into action — and our country is better for it. It was an honor to have him and his family here today.
Hamlin also shared a tweet writing, “It was a pleasure and honor to meet you today. I know your time is precious and I won’t waste a second of it! Our conversations were valuable.. #UncleJoe. He captioned his Twitter post with his hands signed in the form of a heart emoji.
President Biden praised Hamlin’s “courage, resilience, and spirit” on Twitter, adding, “He has turned recovery into action — and our country is better for him.”
Hamlin thanked the president for the time he spent on Twitter and signed off the tweet affectionately with the hashtag #UncleJoe.
Hamlin has made a remarkable recovery from cardiac arrest in January, as he attempts to return to the NFL with the Bills next season (pictured at the NFL Honors in February)
Hamlin collapsed while playing against the Cincinnati Bengals on January 2, during ESPN’s “Monday Night Football”.
Since then, the 25-year-old has made a remarkable recovery, according to doctors.
The team’s general manager said in February that Hamlin’s “final game” would resume play as long as he received the necessary medical clearance.
“We hope he plays, but at the end of the day it’s a decision he’ll make, but we support him whether he decides to play or not,” coach Sean McDermott said this week at the NFL Annual Meetings. Phoenix, Arizona.
Hamlin’s efforts during his recovery helped “make life-saving technologies more widely available,” the White House said in a statement, referring to automated external defibrillators (AEDs).
Bills players react after Hamlin collapses on the Bengals’ opening drive at Baycor Stadium on January 2, in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Biden had previously spoken on the phone with Hamlin’s parents while visiting Cincinnati on January 4, two days after the game and while Hamlin was in the hospital.
On Wednesday, Hamlin appeared with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Rep. Sheila Chervelous McCormick (D-Fla.) to discuss a bill that would increase access to pacemakers in public and private elementary and secondary schools.
A pacemaker helped save Hamlin’s life.
On Monday, the NFL launched the Smart Heart Sports Coalition, a collaboration of various organizations that advocates for the adoption of evidence-based policies that will prevent fatal outcomes from sudden cardiac arrest among high school students.