Damar Hamlin to Donate $10 Million Raised After His Collapse to Charity

The roughly $10 million raised for Damar Hamlin in the wake of his mid-game collapse will be donated to the NFL star’s charity, he announced Monday.

In a statement to the Associated Press, the 25-year-old Buffalo Bills star shared his plans for the money fans donated back in January to a GoFundMe he originally set up for a local toy drive.

“We have been very deliberate and intentional about taking our time to set my charity up properly,” Hamlin told the AP. “I’m excited to begin sharing news about programs we are creating to impact a generation of youth and give back to others.”

The AP reported that Hamlin applied for a retroactive tax-exempt status for his Chasing M’s Foundation in Pennsylvania earlier this month. The filing also clarified Chasing M’s mission, which Hamlin wrote is to support “the aspirations of youth and community members through sports [and] education” and help “promote health and safety in sports through CPR & AED training,” according to the news outlet.

Between the GoFundMe and another online campaign organized by The Giving Back Fund, there has been about $10 million donated to the NFL star, who is now gearing up to return to the field since collapsing from cardiac arrest during a game on January 2.

The frightening incident — which saw Hamlin’s heart stop after making a tackle during a Monday Night Football game against the Cincinnati Bengals — shocked the sports world, leaving many worried Hamlin might not recover.

But after nine days in the hospital, the Bills safety was discharged and began his road to recovery.

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In the process, Hamlin has become one of the most inspirational figures in sports today.

Hamlin gave a speech at the NFL Honors awards in February, telling the audience he has a newfound “purpose greater than any game in this world” to raise awareness about heart health.

And in March, the Bills safety met with President Joe Biden at the White House and later appeared in front of Congress to speak in support of the Access to AEDs Act, which aims to help place more defibrillators in schools.

Last month, the Bills announced doctors had “fully cleared” Hamlin to play football again and he told fans he’s been making “so much progress.”

“Physically, I’m getting stronger,” Hamlin told the American Heart Association in an interview last week, his second sit down since his cardiac arrest.

“I’m just trying to focus on the right foot in front of the left,” he added.