Mike Tomlin reflects on 'love and respect' for former Central Catholic, Pitt star Damar Hamlin

Calling it a “really personal thing” because of their Pittsburgh ties, Steelers coach Mike Tomlin spoke about his “respect and love” for Damar Hamlin, the former Central Catholic and Pitt star who is in critical condition after going into cardiac arrest during an NFL game Monday night.

Hamlin, 24, was hospitalized after a hit in the first quarter of the Buffalo-Cincinnati game, which was postponed.

Tomlin devoted a portion of his Tuesday news conference to discussing his relationship with Hamlin, who while at Pitt shared the same indoor practice facility as the Steelers.

“I’ve known that guy probably since he was 12,” Tomlin said. “I’ve got a lot of love and respect for him as a human being and his commitment to pursuit of his goals and dreams of what he is doing right now, which is playing in the NFL. To watch him make personal decisions and make (playing in the NFL) a realization, it’s just an honor to get to know young people like that. I’ve had an opportunity to express that to him whenever I see him.”

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After leaving Pitt, Hamlin was taken by the Bills in the sixth round of the 2021 draft. In his second year with the team, Hamlin started the past 14 games, including the Week 5 matchup against the Steelers.

“We’ve played Buffalo each of the last two seasons,” Tomlin said, “and he and I get to have a moment because it’s just cool to not only appreciate those guys in terms of where they are now, but to know them since they were younger people and watch their maturation, their development, to watch them earn what they’ve been chasing, it’s a really cool thing. He’s an example of that.

“I’ve got a lot of love for that young man. We lifted him and that organization up in prayer.”

Tomlin said he has reached out to Bills coach Sean McDermott, his college teammate at William & Mary in the 1990s, to “lend any assistance I could.”

Hamlin’s collapse in the first quarter occurred in the same stadium that Steelers linebacker Ryan Shazier suffered a spinal cord injury in December 2017 that left him temporarily paralyzed. Shazier was taken from the stadium in an ambulance but never lost consciousness.

“You do what you think is best,” Tomlin said when asked how to handle such difficult situations.

Added Tomlin: “As people that thrive in this space, that’s not obviously something you ever want to see.”