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Damar Hamlin has been released from Ohio hospital

The 24-year-old Bills safety has been transferred to a Buffalo hospital as he continues his recovery.
/ Source: TODAY

After one week in an Ohio hospital following a cardiac arrest during the "Monday Night Football" matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals on Jan. 2, Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin has been released from the medical center, the team announced.

Hamlin, 24, has been transferred to a hospital in Buffalo, New York, to continue his recovery before heading home.

On Monday, Jan. 9, the Bills tweeted a statement from the University of Cincinnati Medical Center: "We are thrilled and proud to share that Damar Hamlin has been released from the hospital and returned to Buffalo."

"He is doing well and this is the next stage of his recovery," the statement continued. The team captioned the tweet with, "An amazing update," adding a red heart and blue heart emoji.

“Mr. Hamlin has been released and returned to Buffalo. I traveled with him to the airport this morning with our UC Health air care and mobile care crew, including teammates who were with us on the field when Mr. Hamlin collapsed,” said Dr. William Knight IV, a professor of emergency medicine at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine and director of the Emergency Medicine MLP Program.

Hamlin tweeted, "Grateful for the awesome care I received at UCMC. Happy to be back in Buffalo. The docs and nurses at Buffalo General have already made me feel at home!"

During last week's game, Hamlin tackled Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins before collapsing onto the field. He was given CPR for several minutes and was then taken to the hospital's trauma center.

On Friday, Jan. 6, the team tweeted that Hamlin's breathing tube had been removed overnight and that he was progressing “remarkably” in his recovery, per physicians. The Bills also noted that he was able to speak to his family and care team.

Hamlin FaceTimed into a team meeting last week to talk to players and coaches, saying, “Love you boys,” according to a statement from the Bills.

On Saturday, Jan. 7, the Bills wrote, “Per the physicians at UC Medical Center, Damar is making continued progress in his recovery yet remains in critical condition. He continues to breathe on his own and his neurological function is excellent.” 

The cause of Hamlin’s cardiac arrest has not been confirmed.

The NFL previously announced that the game, which was originally postponed, would be canceled altogether. The league acknowledged that canceling the game “creates potential competitive inequities in certain playoff scenarios.”