Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin posted his first public video on Instagram since his near-death on-field collapse.
He suffered cardiac arrest during a Jan. 2 game against the Cincinnati Bengals and required CPR before he was rushed to a nearby hospital. Hamlin was in critical condition for several days afterwards.
In the new video, he thanked the medical teams in charge of his recovery, as well as his fans.
“I can’t tell you how appreciative I am for all the love, all the support,” Hamlin said in the video. The Bills also posted the video on their Twitter account. “It’s just been a lot to process.”
“What happened to me on ‘Monday Night Football,’ I feel, is a direct example of God using me as a vessel to share my passion and my love directly from my heart with the entire world,” he continued.
“And now I’m able to give to kids and communities all across the world who need it the most. And that’s always been my dream. That’s always been what I stood for and what I will continue to stand for.”
Hamlin also thanked the donors to his charitable foundation Chasing M’s which raised nearly $9 million in the days following his hospitalization.
“This is just the beginning of the impact I wanted to have on the world,” he said. “And with God’s guidance, I can do wonderful and great things.”
Though Hamlin did not go into detail about his medical condition, the video was released as conspiracy theorists have repeatedly claimed Hamlin died and has been replaced by a body double.
Hamlin himself responded to the conspiracy theorists on Sunday, posting a “jump scare” on TikTok in which he says “boo.”
