Bomani Jones rips NFL for glorifying Damar Hamlin's return - "There is nothing inspiring about what happened"

On Sunday night, Damar Hamlin made his return to the Paycor Stadium, 10 months after he had suffered a near-fatal cardiac episode against the Cincinnati Bengals.

Long after play had ended and almost everyone else had left, he knelt before the team logo in the middle of the field for 15 minutes in poignant refiection, which he then addressed on X/Twitter:

However, there's at least one person who dislikes the attention Hamlin's return received: veteran sportscaster Bomani Jones. On his recently relaunched podast The Right Time, he said:

“I do recognize that the role of sport in society is value promotion and all of these things. But now that everything has to be made into a television show, the NFL has to stand in every way for all that’s good.

"And what they’re trying to do is turn what happened with Damar Hamlin into a story of inspiration. There is nothing inspiring about what happened.”

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Bomani Jones thinks Damar Hamlin has become a "mascot" for the NFL to exploit

Digging deeper, Jones explained why he felt uneasy seeing the media focus on Damar Hamlin, questioning its real purpose:

"Hearing about Damar Hamlin, all that does is make me sit there and question, ‘Why exactly am I doing this again? What am I watching this for?'

"He’s become a mascot of sorts, and I don’t know really how to feel about that.”

He concluded by saying that he has no problems with the 2022-23 Alan Page Community awardee wanting to continue playing. He only wants the media to focus on his career instead of his near-tragedy:

"(It) is a great story. His connection to the first responders is understandable and emotionally resonant. But the weekly check-ins and uplifting content can seem like an attempt to redefine something we’d all sooner forget. It doesn’t make me feel good."

Hamlin, who dined with his rescuers the night before the game and announced scholarships named after them, was a healthy scratch in the Bills' ensuing 24-18 loss.

He has played just a single game off the bench and contributed no stats whatsoever.