A 17-foot-tall mural of Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin was recently unveiled, nearly two weeks following the safety’s cardiac arrest during the team’s Week 17 “Monday Night Football” game against the Cincinnati Bengals.
Hamlin, who was released from the hospital last week and is recovering at home, took note of the stunning artwork and asked where the mural was located. According to TMZ Sports, the piece is located in Larkin Square, which is “about 15 minutes away” from where the team plays its home games at Highmark Stadium.
Per the report, Buffalo News editorial cartoonist Adam Zyglis was the “mastermind behind the project” and worked with Rory Allen.
“I completed the illustration late last week after reading news of Damar Hamlin returning to Buffalo and coming home,” Zyglis told TMZ Sports. “That moment of tragedy united the country across team allegiances and party lines. … It was a human moment, and his recovery was an illustration of Buffalo’s strength, love, and resiliency. As the coach said, it was much bigger than football.”
According to the report, the piece was hand-drawn by the cartoonist and took “4-5 hours to create and color.”
Hamlin spent seven nights at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center earlier this month following the scary on-field incident. He was then transferred to the Buffalo General Medical Center/Gates Vascular Institute and released on Wednesday.
Hamlin’s Bills defeated the Miami Dolphins by three — 34-31 — in the AFC wild-card round on Sunday. Buffalo will host the Bengals in the divisional round at 3 p.m. ET on Sunday.
