On Tuesday, nearly four months after his unexpected cardiac arrest during a game against the Cincinnati Bengals, Damar Hamlin announced his comeback to the NFL and disclosed his diagnosis.
“The diagnosis of pretty much what happened to me was basically commotio cordis… commotio cordis is the leading cause of death in youth athletes across all sports,” Damar Hamlin said.
Commotio cordis is a lethal disruption of the heart rhythm caused by a blow to the chest, particularly over the heart, at a critical point during the heartbeat cycle.
NEW — Damar Hamlin Announces His Return to the NFL & Reveals His Diagnosis
“The diagnosis of pretty much what happened to me was basically Commotio Cordis…Commotio Cordis is the leading cause of death in youth athletes across all sports.” pic.twitter.com/xS5Rmi0FfM
— Chief Nerd (@TheChiefNerd) April 19, 2023
Hamlin’s return to the NFL is welcome news, but there’s a nagging feeling that something is amiss. There was a curious silence surrounding the cause of his mid-game collapse for several months — as if the subject was taboo. In fact, when he was questioned about it, Hamlin was notably evasive.
When asked in a February interview by former NFL player and Good Morning America host Michael Strahan about his unexpected cardiac arrest, Damar Hamlin refused to discuss what caused it.
“You’re 24, peak physical condition, could run circles around me right now. How did doctors describe what happened to you?” Strahan asked. It was a reasonable question to ask, especially considering the length of time that had elapsed since the incident. It was natural to anticipate that the doctors would have some sort of explanation or hypothesis by then.
After a pause of approximately 12 seconds, Hamlin replied with hesitation, “That’s something I want to stay away from.”
How did doctors describe what happened to you?”
“Umm… That’s something I want to stay away from.”
Really? Why?pic.twitter.com/POzGzfg7yx
— Matt Margolis (@mattmargolis) February 15, 2023
Hamlin’s reluctance to respond to the question was concerning. The prevailing theory immediately following his cardiac arrest was commotio cordis and it would have been prudent for him to dismiss any alternative theories at the time, especially since many experts had challenged that diagnosis after analyzing footage of the play before his collapse. Many believed Hamlin’s cardiac arrest was related to myocarditis, a well-known side-effect of the mRNA COVID-19 vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna. But the mere suggestion that there could be a connection between Hamlin’s vaccination status and his cardiac arrest was dismissed as a conspiracy theory.
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Studies have also shown that the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines are more likely to cause myocarditis in young men than natural infection from COVID. Studies suggest that there’s anywhere from a 1-in-5,000 to a 1-in-6,000 chance of myocarditis in young men who receive a second dose of an mRNA vaccine.
Why didn’t Hamlin put those rumors to bed back in February? Why was he not prepared to reveal the commotio cordis diagnosis at that time? It sure looked like there was another explanation he was unwilling to discuss.
So, it looks like commotio cordis is Hamlin’s story, and that’s what he and the doctors will stick with. It may very well have been commotio cordis that stopped his heart, but the circumstances leading up to him finally confirming that diagnosis will always leave me wondering if there’s another explanation that the public isn’t being told.
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