PITTSBURGH — As the Cleveland Browns prepare to wrap their season in Pittsburgh against the Steelers on Sunday, the local community came together to rally for Damar Hamlin.
What You Need To Know
- The Cleveland Browns are in Pittsburgh, Damar Hamlin’s hometown, for the final game of the regular season
- The Pittsburgh community is showing gratefulness for Hamlin’s recovery, as are the Browns and the entire NFL
- Along with being a Pittsburgh native, Hamlin is a University of Pittsburgh graduate
On Saturday, at the University of Pittsburgh Panthers basketball game against the Clemson Tigers, the students showed up in full support for Hamlin, the Buffalo Bills player who suffered cardiac arrest on Monday night during a game against the Cincinnati Bengals.
Hamlin is a Pittsburgh native and University of Pittsburgh graduate.
Zak Klaczak stood in line just before the tipoff against Clemson in what was a nail-biting battle against the first seed in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC).
But Klaczak knew it was about more than just the game itself.
“Showing more love for Damar, you know, showing that we love him, number three, again, showing our support for Damar and making sure that he knows we care about him as much as he cares about us and our community,” he said.
Klaczak was watching on TV when Hamlin collapsed on the field.
“When Damar was here playing for us, he was such a big piece for the team and the community,” he said. “Showing our love and support for him and giving back to him is an important part of what I think being a Pitt fan is.”
Tammy Gladkowski is a mother who watched her kids sign the banner that the University of Pittsburgh made available at Saturday’s game.
She said it means so much for her to see her kids pay tribute to something that hits close to home for her.
“First off, I’m a nurse, so anyone I see doing CPR, you know, obviously it was a horrible situation that happened. I went to Pitt, so Pitt is a special place for me,” she said.
No doubt, this community loves Hamlin and is ready for him to recover.
Doctors say Hamlin is making continued progress in his recovery. He recently was able to share a post on social media, saying “The Love has been overwhelming, but I’m thankful for every single person that prayed for me and reached out.”
