New York Giants head coach Brian Daboll took the podium on Wednesday wearing a blue Giants hat with the number “3” embroidered in white.
That, of course, was in honor of Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin, who suffered a cardiac arrest on Monday night and remains in critical condition.
Coach Daboll arrived to today’s press conference wearing this hat, with the No. 3 for Damar Hamlin pic.twitter.com/Dk0LWYQT5Y
— New York Giants (@Giants) January 4, 2023
Daboll, along with general manager Joe Schoen and several players on the team, know Hamlin personally. They were with him during his rookie season in 2022 and some of them even played college ball alongside him.
“On behalf of our organization, myself, Joe, the players, some of the coaches, some of the staff members, a lot of us have been around Damar,” an emotional Daboll told reporters. “We offer our prayers to him, his family and people in that organization.
“They’ve been through a lot, and this is tragic. It’s tragic to see. I feel for Damar most importantly, his family, but all the players and coaches that are around him every day. He’s a tremendous young man. And I just pray for a recovery. That was tough.”
Daboll, who saw the incident live on television, added that he and Schoen immediately reached out to several members of the Bills organization.
Meanwhile, the Giants had their medical staff, team psychologist, and chaplain speak with their players on Wednesday. They have set up a support system for anyone who needs it.
Several members of the Giants organization, including defensive coordinator Wink Martindale and safety Julian Love, have made notable donations to Hamlin’s charity, The Chasing M’s Foundation.
As of Wednesday afternoon, the donations total more than $6.43 million.
