Mike Tomlin emotionally addresses Damar Hamlin situation following medical emergency

The terrifying Monday Night Football incident involving Buffalo Bills player Damar Hamlin collapsing on the field hit home even harder for folks in the Pittsburgh area, and especially for Steelers coach Mike Tomlin. Hamlin played college ball for Pitt and was born in McKees Rocks, a small part of town near downtown Pittsburgh. Tomlin even knew Hamlin growing up, as he’s familiar with a lot of the young local talent under the Steelers satellite.

So obviously the event was tough for Tomlin to handle — and for his players and the many others across the NFL. But today, he came to the podium, leading off his comments in the press conference with some backstory on his own relationship with Hamlin and how much what happened is affecting everybody on the team.

Here was that statement:

“I’ll say this about Damar Hamlin. Man, it’s a really personal thing for me, being a Pittsburgh-er, and than young man being from Pittsburgh, I’ve known that guy probably since he was about 12. Just got a lot of respect and love for him as a human being, his commitment in the pursuit of his goals and dreams of doing what it is he’s doing right now, which is playing in the NFL. And to watch him make personal decisions and have a realization — it’s just an honor to get to know young people like that. Had an opportunity to express that to him whenever I see him.

“We’ve played Buffalo each of the last few seasons and he and I get to have a moment, because it’s just cool to not only appreciate these guys for where they are on they’re own, but to know them since they were younger people, and to watch their maturation and their development, to watch them, you know, earn what they’ve been chasing — it’s really just a cool thing. He’s an example of that. Got a lot of love for that young man. We lifted he and that organization up in prayer. Reached out to Sean McDermott, whatever assistants I could, but I don’t have a lot to add other than that I just respect the fact that you guys appreciate how personal it is for me, and for all of us. As people that thrive in this space, that’s something you never want to see.”