Damar Hamlin received a hero’s welcome alongside his younger brother, Damir, on the March 15 episode of The Masked Singer. The NFL star, who nearly died on the football field back in January, brought his 8-year-old sibling to “Sesame Street Night” on the Fox reality show for a special surprise. Damir stepped out and sat next to Elmo, as Damar, 24, went on stage and got a round of applause from the audience and the judges. Judge Ken Jeong told Damar he was “so glad” he came on the show for a brief appearance. “But more importantly,” Ken added, “I’m just so glad you’re healthy. The whole world loves you.”
The Buffalo Bills safety, dressed in a colorful sweatshirt and sweatpants, explained that he decided to visit The Masked Singer for tonight’s episode because of his adorable little bother. “That’s my world. I put family first and he loves Sesame Street more than most things so we had to make it tonight,” Damar told the judges.
Damar then got to business: he revealed a clue about the identity of the Squirrel. The clue was a football with Ken’s face on it, which shocked the Crazy Rich Asians actor. The Squirrel spoke, and told Ken that this is “not the first time we’ve worked together.” Let the theories begin!
Damar’s appearance on The Masked Singer was filmed at the very end of January, and marked his first public appearance since his accident on the football field on Jan. 2. At the time, fans weren’t sure if Damar was a contestant on the season, or if he was merely making a brief special appearance, which turned out to be the case. Damar has made more public appearances since taping The Masked Singer, including when he accepted the NFL Player’s Association’s Alan Page Community Award on Feb. 8, for raising over $9 million for the Chasing M’s Foundation Community Toy Drive.
Damar is continuing to settle back into life after his accident. On Jan 2, the athlete collapsed during the Buffalo vs. Bengals game after he tackled another player. Damar was in “critical condition” and was immediately hospitalized, but he managed to recover which was such a miracle. While the next football season is still months away, Damar has admitted that he’s not ready to return to the sport yet.