"It’s a really personal thing to me" - Mike Tomlin gets emotional discussing Damar Hamlin

Damar Hamlin is on the minds of many NFL fans, players, and those around the league. For Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin, Hamlin's injury resonated much closer to home. While speaking with reporters, Tomlin spoke of the Buffalo Bills safety and how he's known him for quite some time.

“I’ll say this about Damar Hamlin: It’s a really personal thing to me, being a Pittsburgher and that young man being a Pittsburgher, I’ve known that guy probably since he was about 12. I’ve just got a lot of respect and love for him as a human being, his commitment to the pursuit of his goals and dreams of doing what he is right now, which is playing in the NFL."

"To watch him make personal decisions, and make that a realization, it’s just an honor to get to know young people like that."

Tomlin added:

“I’ve had an opportunity to express that to him whenever I see him. We’ve played Buffalo each of the last two seasons, and he and I had a moment because it’s just cool to not only appreciate these guys in terms of where they are now but to know them since they were younger people and to watch their maturation, their development, to watch them earn what they’ve been chasing, it’s really a cool thing, and he’s an example of that. I’ve got a lot of love for that young man."

Tomlin has known Hamlin since he was a youth football player within the Pittsburgh area. He noted that he and Hamlin have spent time looking back on how far the former Pittsburgh Panthers safety has come.

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Mike Tomlin reached out to Bills head coach Sean McDermott about Damar Hamlin

While speaking about Damar Hamlin at his press conference, Mike Tomlin said that he reached out to Bills head coach Sean McDermott.

Tomlin said:

"I’ve lifted him and that organization up in prayer. I’ve reached out to Sean McDermott to lend whatever assistance I could. But I don’t have a lot to add other than that. I just respect the fact that you guys appreciate how personal it is for me, not only for me, but for all of us.”

Hamlin stood up after making a tackle in the first quarter of the game but quickly fell back to the ground. The medical staff treated him for around 10 minutes, which included administering CPR and oxygen. Eventually, an ambulance entered Paycor Stadium, taking Hamlin off to the local medical facility. According to the Buffalo Bills, Hamlin is in crucial condition.

Continued thoughts and prayers to Damar Hamlin's family.

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