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As the NFL enters the final weekend of the regular season,
Hamlin has become the sport's most talked about player, with
fans around the world rallying behind the 24-year-old who
collapsed after making a tackle against the Cincinnati Bengals
on Monday.
Hamlin, who had to have his heartbeat restored on the field,
spent most of the week on a ventilator in a Cincinnati hospital
intensive care unit. He was taken off the ventilator overnight
and spoke to the team on Friday morning.
The NFL has distributed a pre-game announcement that all clubs
are encouraged to read prior to the national anthem
acknowledging Hamlin and the first responders and medical
caregivers who came to his aid.
All clubs will be allowed to outline Hamlin's jersey number "3"
on each 30-yard line of the field in either Buffalo Bills red or
blue. During warm-ups, players throughout the league will have
the option to wear black t-shirts displaying "Love for Damar 3".
The Bills, who host the New England Patriots in their final
regular season game on Sunday, will wear number "3" patches on
their jerseys.
"It says a lot about our league... I don't think I've ever seen
that," Bills general manager (GM) Brandon Beane said of the
planned league-wide displays during a news conference on Friday.
"We go into battle but in the end, life is the number one
battle," Beane said. "To see that unity - players, coaches, GMs,
owners, fans - is unheard of, but I think it sheds a great light
on the NFL. The NFL is truly a family."
(Reporting by Steve Keating in Toronto; Editing by Bill Berkrot)
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