Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin returns to Cincinnati, 10 months after collapse

Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin returned to Cincinnati Sunday night, about 10 months after collapsing and nearly dying during a nationally televised game.

Hamlin, 25, suffered cardiac arrest early in the Bills-Bengals “Monday Night Football” game at Paycor Stadium in Cincinnati on Jan. 2, leading the crucial Week 17 game to be declared a no-contest.

He was rushed to hospital in critical condition and has since been cleared to play football again.

Hamlin expressed his appreciation to the Bills medical team and first responders in Cincinnati who played a key role in saving his life.

He established a charitable foundation to award scholarships to needy children in Cincinnati.

Hamlin was not on the active roster for Sunday night’s game. He has played sparingly this season, only playing in one game so far, Buffalo’s 48-20 victory on October 1 against the Miami Dolphins.

The timing of Sunday’s match is a bit of a coincidence.

NFL teams are guaranteed to face their opponents from all three divisions twice per season. The rest of the competitions are based on a formula that rotates opponents and brings parity to the league, with teams facing other clubs of similar strength.

Although the Bills and Bengals aren’t expected to meet every season, they have been constant rivals in recent years, with Buffalo holding a 17-16 lifetime advantage in a series dating back to 1968.