Bills safety Damar Hamlin is the winner of the 2023 NFLPA Alan Page Community Award. Hamlin will receive $100,000 from the NFLPA to use for his foundation, Chasing Ms, or a charity of his choice.
Hamlin traveled to Arizona, the site of the Super Bowl, to receive the award with his parents by his side. The safety gives credit to his father, Mario Hamlin, for inspiring him to give back in their community.
"Giving back to my community has always been a big part of who I am," Hamlin said as he accepted the award in Arizona on Wednesday. "Thankful to my father who is right here behind me, growing up and just watching him do community days in our community. I just was always waiting on my time when it came."
The NFLPA Alan Page Community (APC) Award is the highest honor that the NFLPA can bestow upon a player. The award annually recognizes one player who goes above and beyond to perform community service in his team city and/or hometown. As an award for the players and by the players, the winner will be determined next week through a league-wide electronic vote by their NFL peers.
Since suffering cardiac arrest during a Jan. 2 game,Hamlin has inspired people all over the world through his miraculous recovery as well as his servant heart, which was on display well before this month. The Week 18 NFLPA Community MVP hosted his third annual Community Toy Drive in December, distributing gifts to hundreds of Pittsburgh children in need through his Chasing M's Foundation. The non-profit started in 2020 as a GoFundMe page created by Hamlin, who was seeking $2,500 in support of his efforts to create impactful moments such as the toy drive, a back-to-school event, kids camp and more for families in his hometown of Pittsburgh. In the wake of Hamlin's medical emergency, nearly nine million dollars in donations have poured into his foundation.
Hamlin was one of five players – Jonathan Jones (New England), Charles Leno Jr. (Washington), Darren Waller (Las Vegas) and Devin White (Tampa Bay) – to be nominated for the award.
To learn more about the NFLPA Alan Page Community Award, click here.
