Bills Player's Charity Flooded by Fans

Donations for Damar Hamlin's Chasing M's Foundation toy drive reach over $3.2M
By Arden Dier,  Newser Staff
Posted Jan 3, 2023 6:12 AM CST
Updated Jan 3, 2023 6:31 AM CST
After Bills Player's Collapse, Fans Flood His Charity
Fans gather outside of University of Cincinnati Medical Center, late Monday, Jan. 2, 2023, in Cincinnati, where Buffalo Bills' Damar Hamlin was taken after collapsing on the field during an NFL football game against the Cincinnati Bengals.   (AP Photo/Jeff Dean)

The charity of Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin has received more than $3.2 million in donations following his on-field collapse Monday. Hamlin had created a GoFundMe campaign, seeking $2,500 for the Chasing M's Foundation's third annual toy drive, to benefit Kelly and Nina's Daycare Center in McKees Rocks, Pa., which is co-run by Hamlin's mother, reports the Buffalo News. "As I embark on my journey to the NFL, I will never forget where I come from and I am committed to using my platform to positively impact the community that raised me," Hamlin wrote, adding toys were to be distributed Dec. 22. It's unclear how the new funds will be used. Many donors offered prayers for Hamlin. "Tonight I'm a Bills fan," one wrote.

Hamlin collapsed in the first quarter of Monday's game against the Cincinnati Bengals and received CPR before being taken to a Cincinnati hospital. In an update early Tuesday, the Bills said he suffered cardiac arrest, with his heartbeat restored on the field, and is now sedated in critical condition. In a conference call early Tuesday, NFL Chief Football Administrative Officer Dawn Aponte said "medical advice guided our decision" to postpone the game, per USA Today. "We made decisions that we believed to be in the best interest of Damar’s status and the state of both teams—players and staffs."

The NFL’s vice president of football operations said players from both teams were "traumatized." "How do you resume play after you seen such a traumatic event occur in front of you in real time? And that's the way we were thinking about it," said Troy Vincent. Jeff Miller, the NFL's VP of communications, public affairs, and policy, said it was not an appropriate time to discuss when the game would be rescheduled. "Our concern is with the player and his wellbeing," he said. Following the episode, ESPN's Coley Harvey reported the Bengals had lit Paycor Stadium in blue and white to honor the Bills' safety. (More NFL stories.)

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