Ali Condon
Damar Hamlin has hit back at conspiracy theorists who are convinced the NFL star died on the field and was replaced by a 'clone'.
The Buffalo Bills safety spoke out today for the first time since his horrific on-field cardiac arrest, and thanked fans for their support.
This is the first time Damar has spoken out on camera since his injury, and now that he's done it, maybe the conspiracy theorists will finally cool off.
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A little bit of background...
Earlier this month, Damar sparked serious concern among NFL fans during a game against the Cincinnati Bengals when he collapsed on the pitch.
The 24-year-old's heart had to be restarted twice - both on the pitch and again in hospital - and he was said to be in critical condition after the incident.
Since then, Hamlin has made an astounding recovery and thanked fans for keeping him in their thoughts.
Everyone was thrilled for Damar - except, of course, for all of the people who somehow convinced themselves that it wasn't Damar at all.
Yes, the latest obsession among the clinically online is a theory that Damar didn't make a speedy recovery at all, but rather died and was replaced by a clone in 'the biggest NFL coverup.'
Why? Who knows. Does it make sense? No, not at all.
If you ask me, it just sounds like the people wrapped up in this conspiracy just need to go outside and touch some grass.
And Damar thinks the same.
After the sinister online theories started doing the rounds, Damar posted a photo of himself to Twitter, standing in front of a mural of himself.
Accompanying the photo, he tweeted the word 'Clone' in quotation marks.
Seriously, though, imagine suffering from an injury as severe and traumatic as Damar's and miraculously recovering, only to be met with hundreds of people accusing you of being a clone.
I'd be pretty annoyed too.
Even after Damar shared the post, though, the conspiracy theorists just kept coming.
"This disproves nothing," tweeted one.
"Exactly what a clone would say," wrote another.
Others argued that they wouldn't believe Damar was alive until he spoke on camera and showed his face.
Which is exactly what Damar did this week, so here's hoping that's the end of that crazy train.
"I can’t tell you how appreciative I am of all the love, all the support, and everything that’s just been coming my way," Damar said in a video addressed to his fans this week.
"What happened to me on Monday Night Football I feel is a direct example of God using me as a vessel to share my passion and my love directly from my heart with the entire world, and I’m now able to give it back to kids and communities all across the world, who need it the most. And that’s always been my dream."
Explaining why it took him so long to speak out publicly after the incident, he continued: "It was a lot to process within my own self - mentally, physically, even spiritually.
"It’s just been a lot to process... While I’m so thankful to everybody, I know that it isn’t enough just to be thankful.
"This is just the beginning of the impact that I wanted to have on the world, and with God’s guidance I will continue to do wonderful and great things."
So now that Damar has cleared everything up, can we all please come back down to earth?