Across the NFL, hundreds of players have some connection to Damar Hamlin – be it as friends, former teammates, former prep rivals, or even just a brother in the league.
Giants head coach Brian Daboll, who was the offensive coordinator in Buffalo last season, and former Bills receiver Isaiah Hodgins both spoke about Hamlin and their relationship earlier in the week, but the Giants have two more who starred on Sunday that have the first two connections to Hamlin: Davis Webb and Nick McCloud.
Webb was on Buffalo’s practice squad last year and spent the whole season with Hamlin, and when finally getting a chance to speak about his ex-teammate Sunday, Webb revealed that he has been thinking more about his friend than he had about Week 18.
"My mind during the game was on other things, but Damar was on my mind every day this week. Myself, my girlfriend, my parents – everybody was praying for not only Damar, but that entire organization,” Webb said. “Everybody had to watch that and see a brother going through something very traumatic. My heart is with the whole city; they've been through a lot, and I'm glad they got a win and I know Damar was happy watching them."
The other Giant is defensive back Nick McCloud, who had two stints with the Bills last season; he was an undrafted free agent signee who was waived during final roster cuts, and he then returned to the practice squad in November, signed a futures deal in January, and was cut at the end of this year’s camp.
So, he’s the one, other than Hodgins, who has spent the most recent time with Hamlin, and he was happy to get to FaceTime his friend this week and sent him a positive message prior to the game.
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“I spoke with him via FaceTime from the locker room. It was good just to see him,” McCloud said. “I sent him a picture of me in the shirt before the game and he was happy to see that. Every chance I get to talk to him is good."
As a defensive back, Hamlin's situation could have given McCloud, or any other DB in the league, some pause, but in this case, it didn't.
"I really didn't think about it too much. Just going out there and playing hard, and competing just doing everything that I know Damar would want me to do," McCloud said. "I really didn't have too many thoughts about not going out there playing hard and playing physical."
The Bills placed Hamlin on injured reserve this week, but whether or not he is able to return to the field is secondary in everyone’s mind to the fact that Hamlin is alive and healing after suffering a cardiac arrest last Monday night in Cincinnati.
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