The latest episode of HBO Max’s hit series Hard Knocks featured a powerful segment on a Buffalo Bills player’s Christian faith.
The moment came during this season’s second episode, which aired on the aforementioned streaming service Tuesday night. The episode featured profiles on several prominent Bills players, including safety Damar Hamlin.
Most Americans are likely familiar with Hamlin from Buffalo’s January 2023 matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals, during which he had to be driven off the field in an ambulance after abruptly going into cardiac arrest. The University of Pittsburgh alum appears to have made a full recovery in the years since, and returned to the Bills’ lineup as a regular starter in 2024.
While the Hard Knocks segment on Hamlin mentions his freak accident and charitable advocacy for CPR training, the more significant part of the profile is the focus on his Christian faith.
While discussing how he’s in the process of writing a book, Hamlin revealed that the “first thing” he does “when [he] wake[s] up” is he “send[s] up a quick prayer, and then … get[s] into [his] devotionals.”
“I just take a few minutes to take a couple deep breaths because I just remember being in the hospital, and I remember being able to not take a deep breath,” Hamlin said.
The segment then featured Hamlin praying in the middle of his training camp dorm room, with the showrunners including audio of Hamlin reading devotionals in the background. After a short montage of Hamlin praying and taking hits at practice, the segment concluded with Hamlin expressing his gratitude to God while sitting on the practice field.
“Thank you, God. Focus. Fellowship. For brotherhood, for teammates. For all the amazing things [we] get from this game,” Hamlin said. “We know this game is hard. … But you bring us a lot of amazing things from this game, and I’m thankful to just still be here.”
“Thank you, God. You bring us so many good things from this game, Lord, God, I appreciate you. I appreciate the opportunity,” he added.
Tuesday’s Hard Knocks episode wasn’t the first time Hamlin has publicly discussed his Christian faith. Several months after his on-field collapse, the Bills safety credited God with giving him the strength to overcome adversity.
“My strength is rooted in my faith, and my faith is stronger than any fear,” he said during an August 2023 press conference. “That’s what I want to preach up here, and that’s the message I want to spread on to the world, that as long as your faith is stronger than your fear, you can get through anything. And so that’s what I’m living by right now.”
Speaking of his recovery, he added, “As much as the NFL is, you know, on schedule and camp starts this day, this is all God’s timing, you know what I mean? You’ll hear me say that a lot up here. I’m trusting in Him, and that’s my strength in all of this right now.”
Shawn Fleetwood is a staff writer for The Federalist and a graduate of the University of Mary Washington. He previously served as a state content writer for Convention of States Action and his work has been featured in numerous outlets, including RealClearPolitics, RealClearHealth, and Conservative Review. Follow him on Twitter @ShawnFleetwood