NEW YORK CITY - Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin returned to NFL competition in a pre-season game on Saturday, seven months after suffering a cardiac arrest after being hit during a game.
The 25-year-old defensive back took part in his first on-field game action since being carted off the field in an ambulance in January, playing in the first quarter at home against Indianapolis.
Hamlin helped make a tackle on a fourth down in short-yardage situation.
It was the completion of a comeback from an incident that took place last January 2 at Cincinnati when Hamlin tackled Bengals receiver Tee Higgins and seconds later collapsed on the field.
Emergency medical workers restored his heartbeat on the field and he was taken to a nearby hospital, the game halted and never completed.
Hamlin eventually recovered and was diagnosed as having been struck in the chest between heartbeats in a rare incident that stopped his heart.
In April, the Bills announced that medical officials had given their approval for Hamlin to return to the NFL, something Hamlin said was his goal.
He returned to the team for pre-season workouts and took part in Buffalo's first pre-season contest against the Colts in hopes of making the team again for the upcoming campaign.
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