In the world of sports, one of the NFL’s most prestigious awards goes to a player who has overcome adversity and has returned to form. This year, there has been one player who stands out among the rest as a possible recipient of this award. Damar Hamlin.
On January 2, 2023 Damar Hamlin, a defensive back for the Buffalo Bills, was hit in the chest by a receiver while making a tackle. Hamlin made the tackle, stood up, and collapsed on the field just seconds after. He went into cardiac arrest and was resuscitated 9 minutes later. An absolute miracle by the Bills medical staff.
While the comeback by Damar Hamlin was incredible, he is not very deserving of the award. Damar didn’t even appear in any defensive snaps until week 10, when he came in for an injured player late in the game. Hamlin hasn’t played any more snaps for the team since then and he hasn’t put up any real stats.
There are other players in the NFL that are much more deserving of the award. Take Breece Hall, a running back for the New York Jets, for instance, who was taken number 36 in the 2022 draft and was a frontrunner for rookie of the year, tore his ACL in week 7 of last season. Since his return this season, he has 544 rushing yards on 117 carries averaging 4.65 yards per carry.
Another player that could be a potential candidate for the award is Tua Tagovailoa, a quarterback for the Miami Dolphins. Tua was drafted 5th overall in the 2020 draft. Last season, Tua suffered 3 concussions. 2 of them were in back to back games. There were questions on if Tua would even return to football or take it safe with the potential of a traumatic brain injury. His return this year was definitely not quiet, he is in MVP conversations and has thrown for 2934 yards and 21 touchdowns.
Not that it wasn’t a miracle that Damar Hamlin was able to make a comeback and return to football, but he hasn’t made any real impact for his team. There are other people in the NFL that have made a return this year and are much more deserving of the award, who have actually made a difference for their team.
