The condition of Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin Tuesday weighed heavily on his teammates, coaches and family – and on Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin.
Tomlin spoke to reporters and said he’s known Hamlin since the defensive back was coming up in the youth football ranks. Hamlin grew up in McKees Rocks, Pennsylvania, located just outside Pittsburgh. He attended Pittsburgh Central Catholic High School and went to the University of Pittsburgh.
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Head coach Mike Tomlin of the Pittsburgh Steelers looks on during the Ravens game on Jan. 1, 2023, in Baltimore, Maryland.
(Rob Carr/Getty Images)
“I’ll say this about Damar Hamlin – it’s a really personal thing to me, being a Pittsburgher and that young man being a Pittsburgher, I’ve known that guy probably since he was about 12,” Tomlin said. “I’ve just got a lot of respect and love for him as a human being, his commitment to the pursuit of his goals and dreams of doing what he is right now, which is playing in the NFL. To watch him make personal decisions, and make that 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. We’ve played Buffalo each of the last two seasons and he and I had a moment because it’s just cool to not only appreciate these guys in terms of where they are now but to know them since they were younger people and to watch their maturation, their development, to watch them earn what they’ve been chasing, it’s really a cool thing, and he’s an example of that.
Damar Hamlin of the Buffalo Bills reacts after a tackle for a loss against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Highmark Stadium on Oct. 9, 2022, in Orchard Park, New York.
(Bryan M. Bennett/Getty Images)
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“I’ve got a lot of love for that young man. I’ve lifted…
