Viewpoint: Damar Hamlin was worthy of winning Comeback Player of the Year.

A professional sports league’s annual awards presentation usually doesn’t get me riled up, but in the case of the NFL Honors, which were presented Thursday night in Las Vegas, NV, the NFL and its voters utterly butchered the Comeback Player of the Year Award.

Despite dying twice on the field against the Cincinnati Bengals, safety Damar Hamlin of the Buffalo Bills was not awarded the accolade; Joe Flacco of the Cleveland Browns did.

The 50 voters who cover the league for print, television, radio, and online media publications nationwide were left to decide who was deserving of the Comeback Player of the Year award because there is no set criteria for the title.

Hamlin faced Flacco, quarterback Baker Mayfield of the Tampa Bay Bucs, who was just better this year than he was in 2022, quarterback Matthew Stafford of the Los Angeles Rams, and quarterback Tua Tagovailoa of the Miami Dolphins, who both returned from injury to play well in 2023.

That ought to have been obvious.

When Hamlin had a sudden heart arrest during the first quarter of the Buffalo Bills game on, the entire nation watched in horror.Jan. 2, 2023, at the Bengals in Cincinnati. In order to revive him on the field, defibrillation and CPR were both required. His life was spared by the amazing, fast-thinking efforts of the medical team and training staff at the Bills. After spending many days in a Cincinnati hospital, including some time in an induced coma, Hamlin had to endure months of arduous rehabilitation before he could return to his professional life.

Hamlin participated fully in both training camp and the preseason after receiving all the necessary clearances in April to resume playing football. He was added to the 53-man roster of the Buffalo Bills, and he would participate in seven games, including both of Buffalo’s postseason games, and see the field for 94 snaps in total this season, the most of them on special teams.

The Comeback Player of the Year Award should have been secured by Hamlin simply for playing one snap after dying twice.

Rather, the league rewarded Flacco, who had returned from nowhere with the desire to sign the journeyman quarterback.

Not to disparage Flacco. It was astounding what he accomplished when he got off his couch in the middle of November and led the Browns to the playoffs. Not as astounding, though, is the struggles Hamlin overcome to get back to playing his favorite sport with his teammates, who have grown to be like family.

Can you picture Hamlin’s thoughts the first time he lined up defensively or sprinted down the field as a member of Buffalo’s special teams unit? Doubts and concerns? What would happen if he took a devastating hit for the first time? What would happen to his heart?

To earn this year’s prize, Hamlin only had to take a step back from the field of play. Although Hamlin’s production as the fifth safety for the Bills didn’t stand out on the stat sheet (two total tackles), his on-field output shouldn’t have been taken into consideration when casting votes. Recall that there is no definition for this prize.

Rather, it was the voters who rejected him. I was offended by Hamlin’s snub, as were many football fans nationwide as well as Bills supporters. When I posted a message on Twitter about Comeback Player of the Year, I honestly didn’t anticipate that many people would stick on the “but Damar Hamlin didn’t play well” side of the debate.

Some commenters attempted to argue that winning the prize is about returning to provide an outstanding performance. I don’t know about you, but I think that after losing his life twice on the field, coming back to play the game he loves is a fairly amazing achievement deserving of this award.

And that’s before you account for what Hamlin does off the field. The Centers for Disease Control report that every year, about 365,000 people experience a cardiac arrest occurrence outside of a hospital; of them, 60–80% pass away before receiving potentially life-saving care. Hamlin became the exception because of the paramedics’ and first responders’ life-saving efforts.

People all across the world were inspired by Hamlin’s journey to recovery, and his influence extended well beyond the field of play. In typical Damar Hamlin fashion, he has devoted a significant portion of the previous year to traveling to universities, sports teams, and schools throughout the nation to promote CPR instruction via his Chasing M’s Foundation.

He has contributed hundreds of thousands of dollars to support the nation’s first responders and to expand access to automated external defibrillators (AEDs). In March 2023, he also assisted in the introduction of the “Access to AEDs Act.” Chasing M’s announced on Friday afternoon in Las Vegas that it would be donating $100,000 worth of AEDs to 47 Nevada high schools that have athletic departments.

The path of Hamlin’s recovery is not over. Rather, it continues to occur. He is currently writing the nextmore than a year after the heart arrest happened on the field, he began a new chapter in his life narrative. Seeing the positive outcomes from this terrible event is encouraging. It’s unfortunate that Comeback Player of the Year isn’t part of Hamlin’s comeback story. Because Damar Hamlin is, in my opinion, one of the most worthy recipients there is.